Zoller Bros-Independent Malting Co.

The Zoller Bros-Independent Malting Co. building is located on the edge of an industrial area in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.^[1]

History

The beer brewing industry in Davenport got its start after large numbers of German immigrants arrived in Davenport in the 1850s.^[2] The larger breweries developed after the end of the American Civil War. Five breweries were functioning in the city: Mathias Frahm and Son, Koehler and Lange (also known as Arsenal Brewery), Littig Brothers (later Mengel and Klindt and Eagle Brewery), Julius Lehrkind’s Brewery and Zoeller Brothers. They all distributed their beer mainly in Davenport, Rock Island, Illinois and Moline, Illinois.

In 1894 all the breweries consolidated into a single corporate structure called The Davenport Malting Company. They built a new building in the West End that contained some of the first refrigeration equipment used in the city.^[2] As they built new additions on to the plant they closed the older structures. Production reached a high of 75,000 barrels of beer by 1916, and was the second largest brewery in Iowa.^[2]

Independent Malting Company was formed in 1896 by the Zoeller Brothers building after they had consolidated their operations two years prior with the other companies. Both The Davenport Malting Company and Independent Malting Company closed with national Prohibition in 1916. Over 150 people from both companies lost their jobs. A black market for alcohol took hold in the city until Prohibition was lifted in 1933. Zoeller Brewery reopened in 1935 and by 1941 they grew to become the largest brewery in Iowa.^[2] They employed 250-300 people and their annual output was 150,000 barrels of beer that was distributed in nine states and in 2,000 cities.^[2] The company changed its name to the Blackhawk Brewery in 1945. It ended production in 1952 with the rise of national brands.

The Uchtorff Brewing Company operated out of the facility for several before they folded. The building has been used by United Van Lines as a warehouse in subsequent years.

References