Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company

Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company was a historic brewery and ice-making business in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its origins date to 1888, when Don and Harry Rankin founded the Southwestern Brewery. The enterprise later came under the control of Jacob and Henry Loebs and developed into one of Albuquerque's largest employers around the turn of the twentieth century. The company's principal brewing product was Glorieta Beer, which was distributed beyond Albuquerque throughout the American Southwest. This regional distribution gave the business importance beyond its local plant and connected it to the growth of Albuquerque as a commercial and railroad-centered community. The brewery complex was built in 1899 beside the BNSF railroad tracks in what is now East Downtown, a location that supported the movement of beer and other goods. The company's business changed decisively when statewide Prohibition took effect in New Mexico in 1917. The prohibition regime forced Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company out of the brewing business, ending its role as a beer producer. Its ice-making operations, however, remained profitable and allowed the facility to continue operating in a different industrial capacity. Ice production and cold-storage functions became the principal surviving activities associated with the site for much of the twentieth century. The property changed hands several times beginning in 1948, although ice production continued for most of the century. The facility ultimately closed in 1997. A fire in 1998 destroyed the former cold-storage and mechanical building on the south side of the complex and caused limited damage to the principal brewery building. The surviving structures are significant as rare reminders of Albuquerque's nineteenth-century commercial and industrial development. The complex was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1975 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Today, the name primarily denotes the historic site and its associated industrial heritage rather than an operating beer brand. No current brewing, ownership, executive, or commercial website information is identified in the supplied reference material.

Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company originated in Albuquerque in 1888 as the Southwestern Brewery, founded by Don and Harry Rankin. The business later passed to Jacob and Henry Loebs. By the beginning of the twentieth century, it had become one of Albuquerque's largest employers, reflecting the importance of brewing and industrial production in the city's expanding commercial economy. The company's principal facility was constructed in 1899 beside the BNSF railroad tracks in the area now known as East Downtown. Its railroad-adjacent location was well suited to a business that produced and distributed beverages and ice. The brewery's best-known product was Glorieta Beer, which reached markets throughout the Southwest and established the company as a regional rather than merely local brewer. The company's brewing activities were interrupted by the enactment of statewide Prohibition in New Mexico in 1917. The law forced the business to leave brewing, eliminating the activity around which the enterprise had originally been founded. The ice-making side of the company proved more resilient. Ice production remained profitable, and the plant continued to operate primarily as an ice manufacturer and cold-storage facility for most of the twentieth century. Beginning in 1948, the facility changed hands several times. Despite these ownership changes, its ice-related operations continued until the end of the century. The business finally closed in 1997, ending the site's active industrial use under the Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company name. The complex subsequently became important as a surviving example of Albuquerque's early commercial architecture. It is described as one of the few remaining nineteenth-century commercial buildings in the downtown area. Recognition began at the state level in 1975, when the property was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties. In 1978 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site's physical condition was affected by a fire in 1998. The former cold-storage and mechanical building on the south side of the complex was destroyed, while the main brewery building sustained slight damage. The surviving structures preserve evidence of the city's brewing, refrigeration, railroad, and industrial history. Because the operating business closed decades ago, the subject is best understood today as a defunct historic brewery and ice company and as a heritage property, rather than as an active consumer beer brand.

1. 1998Fire damages the complex

   A fire destroyed the former cold-storage and mechanical building and slightly damaged the main brewery building.

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2. 1997Facility closes

   The company's long-running industrial operation ended with the closure of the facility.

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3. 1978National historic designation

   The complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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4. 1975State historic designation

   The property was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties.

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5. 1948Ownership changes begin

   The facility began changing hands several times, while continuing to produce ice for much of the twentieth century.

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6. 1917Brewing operations end under Prohibition

   Statewide Prohibition in New Mexico forced the company out of brewing, while its ice-making business continued.

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7. 1899Brewery complex constructed

   The surviving brewery complex was built beside the BNSF railroad tracks in Albuquerque's East Downtown area.

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8. 1888Southwestern Brewery founded

   Don and Harry Rankin founded the Southwestern Brewery in Albuquerque, establishing the business that later became Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company.

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Historically, the company was a regional brewery and ice producer serving Albuquerque and the wider American Southwest. Its beer business was associated with Glorieta Beer, while its later identity was defined principally by ice manufacture and cold storage after Prohibition.

• Glorieta BeerBeer

  Glorieta Beer was the company's flagship brewing product during its operating period as a regional brewery. It was distributed throughout the American Southwest, giving Southwestern Brewery a market presence beyond Albuquerque. Brewing ended after New Mexico's statewide Prohibition took effect in 1917.

• Manufactured iceIce production

  Ice production became the company's principal continuing business after Prohibition forced it out of brewing. The ice-making operation remained profitable and continued for most of the twentieth century, supporting the facility through multiple ownership changes before the site closed in 1997.

• Cold storageRefrigerated storage

• 1917Shift from brewing to ice productionStrategy

  Statewide Prohibition in New Mexico made the company's brewing business impossible to continue.

  What changed. The company left the brewing business and continued operating its ice-making activities.

  Aftermath. Ice production remained profitable and sustained the facility for most of the twentieth century.

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• 1998Fire damages part of the former brewery complex

  A fire destroyed the former cold-storage and mechanical building on the south side of the complex and slightly damaged the main brewery building.

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• 1997Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company closes

  The long-running ice operation and associated facility closed after continuing through most of the twentieth century.

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• 1978Historic brewery complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  The property received national historic recognition through placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

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• 1975Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company property added to the New Mexico State Register

  The historic brewery complex was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties.

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• 1917New Mexico Prohibition ends Southwestern Brewery's brewing operations

  Statewide Prohibition forced Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company out of the brewing business. Its ice-making operations continued and remained profitable.

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1. Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company