Falstaff Brewery No. 10, Revisited July 2020

I came back to photograph the old Falstaff Plant No. 10 the second Saturday of July to see how it was doing. I always enjoy the Lemp and Anheuser-Busch breweries, but I like how the architecture of this plant contrasts so much from those two more famous institutions. I’ve also decided to go ahead and…

Gravois Avenue Between Compton and Minnesota Avenues

In my dreams I have this fantasy where I win the lottery, and among other things, I secretly purchase all the crumby autocentric stores and used-car lots along Gravois east of Grand through straw buyers, and rebuild a pedestrian-friendly urban environment–you know, like what used to be there one hundred years ago. I’m not expecting…

Restoration Work, Falstaff Plant No. 10

Update: As of the summer of 2020, the work is complete. I was pleased to see that recent work has begun on the exterior walls of the historic former Stumpf/Consumers/Griesedieck Brothers/Falstaff Plant No. 10 Brewery at the corner of Lemp and Shenandoah. I hope this work can guarantee the stability of this important contributing structure…

Falstaff Plant No. 10, Revisited Yet Again

Update: Restoration work on the wall above commenced in 2019. I wish someone with vision and a lot of capital could find a use for the old Falstaff Plant No. 10; it has a great location, history, a cave(!) and beautiful architecture. It needs to be renovated now, not later.

Old Falstaff Museum of Brewing

Update: The building is now abandoned as of the winter of 2022, but probably much earlier. I’m curious if anyone remembers visiting the Falstaff Hospitality Room or the Brewing Museum on Gravois. It seems to be a payday loan office now. The museum closed in 1977.

Joseph “Papa Joe” Griesedieck Grave, Bellefontaine Cemetery

For whatever reason, and not known for certain, Joseph Griesedieck, the founder of Falstaff, is buried in a separate plot with other family members away from the “main” family plot. Interestingly, as far as I can tell, none of the Griesediecks are buried in mausolea, unlike the Busches, Wainwrights or Lemp brewing families.

Alvin Griesedieck Grave, Calvary Cemetery

The second president of the Falstaff Brewing Corporation lies in a line of other family members at Calvary. Alvin Sr. converted to Catholicism to marry his wife, Mary O’Donnell.

Falstaff Plant No. 10, Revisited

I love the old Falstaff Plant No. 10 over on Shenandoah, Lemp and Gravois. It sits forgotten, right in plain sight. I also find it sort of interesting the half dozen or more owners and names that have occupied these buildings (and earlier, demolished ones) on this site for over one hundred and fifty years….

Falstaff Plants No. 2 and 5, Revisited

Update: See the stretch of Gravois Avenue by Plant No. 2 in this post from May of 2020, including an historic picture of the brew house (sixth photo down). Otto Stifel’s old Union Brewery became Falstaff Plant No. 2, where the brewery continued to expand. Unfortunately, the central core of the plant, on the triangular…