Cherokee-Lemp Historic District

This castle of brick, the Lemp Brewery, covers almost 14 acres and includes over 20 buildings. The buildings of this massive complex date from 1874 to 1912.

The brewery began with German-born Adam Lemp, who introduced lager beer in the United States. Lemp had learned the art of brewing from his father in Germany and, in 1838, opened a grocery in his adopted St. Louis. In the back of the grocery, he brewed lager beer. Americans at that time were accustomed to ale, which needs only a few days to ferment. lager beer, preferred by the German immigrants, required a lengthy aging in a cool environment. Lemp realized he could use the naturally cool cave system underneath St. Louis to age lager beer. The demand for his lager beer led Lemp to close his grocery and concentrate his efforts on brewing. He hauled the beer from his brewery south to Cherokee Caves, at Broadway and Cherokee, to age.

Soon after William Lemp took over management of the brewery from his father Adam in 1864, he began construction of the first phase of this brewery complex. By 1870, Lemp was the largest brewery in St. Louis and, until Prohibition, Lemp Brewery controlled the lion's share of the St. Louis market.

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