Update: The malt kiln partially collapsed in August of 2020.
Some of my favorite buildings at the Lemp Brewery, built over a time period of the 1870s through the 1910s, are from left to right above: the malt kiln and house, and the fermenting department.
Above and below, the malt kiln was built in two phases: the first three stories in the 1870s, and the top three stories in the 1880s. You can read about its story in two St. Louis Magazine stories I wrote here and here (included in the story of the second brew house).
What is interesting about the malt house, below, is that it is actually a rebuild in the Twentieth Century of the original 1870s one. You can read about it here, along with some of the other buildings built at the end.
And then finally, there’s the gigantic fermenting department building, which is one of the least modified building on the grounds of the brewery, and is also one of the newest. You can read about it here, along with the story of the iconic grain elevator.
Do you know if one of the buildings in this picture collapsed this morning?
Yes, the western third of the building in the first three photos suffered a severe structural collapse, known as the malt kiln. The malt kiln, part of the original malt house, was built in the early 1870s as a three story, three kiln building. It was expanded upwards in 1887, and converted into a dual kiln building, with support facilities and staircases in the center. It underwent extensive renovation several years ago, so I am surprised to see this happen.