Operations at Heidelberg Brewing Co. were highly mechanized by the mid-1950's. A second brewing line was installed in the summer of 1954 which doubled the brewhouse capacity. Here a brewery employee keeps a careful eye on his large machine which appears to be in the bottling section. Photograph ordered by the Radio Corps. of America.

Machinery; Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1937. A new copper brew kettle is being installed on top of several legs at Columbia Breweries. The brew kettle was located between two floors - the structure for the floor has not yet been built. Employees could add the ingredients for a "brew", barley malt, hops, and water, on the upper level through the sliding doors seen just above the rim near the top of the kettle. Dismantling of the kettle in 1953 can be seen in photograph D76,717-4. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. TPL-8854

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Kettles;

Exterior brewery. The Heidelberg Brewing Co. occupied most of the 2100 block of South C Street in the 1950's, with only the J.E. Bunker Co., dealers in bicycles, between its buildings. A sign on the receiving department's exterior indicates that a three-story cellar building was under construction; Heidelberg continued to grow along with Tacoma, expanding and rebuilding, tripling in size in seven years. It would also install in the summer of 1954 a second brewing line which doubled brewhouse capacity. The company, which had purchased Columbia Breweries in 1949, finally changed its name to Heidelberg in 1953. It was later purchased by Carling Brewery in 1959 and closed its doors twenty years later. The above photograph was taken on August 26, 1954. (TNT 9-16-54, C-16)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

ca. 1917. A print of a photograph of the Columbia Brewing Company as it appeared in 1917 has been outlined, the date added and measurements written on the left and bottom margins, possibly for use in an advertisement. Stamps have been affixed to the back of the mock-up for Sterling Engraving Company at 1417 Fourth Avenue Building and How. J. Ryan & Son, R Advertising in the Joseph Vance Building, Seattle, Wash. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1938. The dark exterior of Columbia Breweries has the name Alt Heidelberg beer painted on the north edge of the top of the main brewery. West Coast Grocery's Coffee Department is seen on the right at 2114 South C Street. West Coast Grocery was at this location from 1928 through 1945. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1949. This aerial photograph featuring Columbia Breweries (center) was taken either in December of 1949 or early January of 1950 as snow has blanketed the rooftops and surrounding streets. It appears identical to C87485, image 8, except for the missing Heidelberg logo in the upper left corner. The massive plant had opened in 1900 as the Columbia Brewing Co., underwent several remodels and expansions and purchases, and would survive until 1979 when it finally closed.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Aerial views; Aerial photographs; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Exterior-Heidelberg Brewery. This May 15, 1957, photograph taken diagonally from across "C" Street shows the main buildings of the Heidelberg Brewing Co. The brewery had undergone much expansion in the past few years and now occupied most of the 2100 block of South "C". Their bottled Columbia Ale and Heidelberg beer were still very popular and the brewery continued to provide employment for many local residents.

Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1937. A man wearing a suit and hat, possibly Otto Birkmaier, stands by the large brew kettle at Columbia Breweries. Otto Birkmaier was the brewmaster at Columbia Brewery Company and Columbia Breweries from 1918 (following Emil Kliese) until his death in 1946 and during his lifetime was one of the most highly regarded brewers in the country. Mr. Birkmaier was succeeded by Anders W. Erikson as brewmaster in 1946. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p. B-4) TPL-8853

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Kettles;

ca. 1948. This is a drawing, an enhanced photograph, of Columbia Breweries as it looked towards the end of the 1940's. The brewery was anticipating additions to its facilities and the purchase of the property to the rear of these buildings along Jefferson Avenue. This drawing, used as an inset over a photograph of Tacoma in C87,485-45, is signed in the lower, left corner, Fred J. Meinzinger, Detroit, Michigan. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Drawings;

Long view exterior brewery. This photograph of the Heidelberg Brewing Co. was taken from down the street on August 26, 1954, and shows that the brewery's shipping & receiving department was apparently separated from the main buildings by the J.E. Bunker Co., a dealer in bicycles. Heidelberg had purchased the well-known Columbia Breweries in 1949 and changed its name formally in 1953. By 1954, it had tripled its size. The building between the bicycle store and the shipping department was the new three-story cellar building which was used for storage and fermentation. Costing $700,000, it had three floors full of storage tanks with enough beer to fill 45 million bottles. (TNT 9-3-54, C-16) TPL-6499

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

ca. 1920. A fan of Columbia Brew, a "near beer" produced by the Columbia Brewing Company, models a suit for not-just-any occasion. The jacket and pants have been made by pasting labels for Columbia Brew on pants and a striped shirt. The top hat also displays an enlarged label for Columbia Brew. The Columbia Brewing Company opened their brewery on South C Street between South 21st and South 23rd in 1900. They made "Columbia Brew" during the dry period of prohibition. Columbia Brewing Co. was purchased by Heidelberg Brewing Co. in 1949; which was purchased by Carling Brewery in 1959. The plant closed in 1979. (Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954.) Format 6" x 8". TPL-5565

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Costumes; Prohibition--Tacoma;

ca. 1919. Gustav Schuster was the manager of the Columbia Brewing Company in Tacoma from September 17, 1917 to October 31, 1929. For the whole time he was manager, the brewing industry was prevented from making beer by state and federal prohibition laws. In 1919 Mr. Schuster began producing "Colo - a malt beverage of quality" at the Tacoma plant. Colo was a nonalcoholic "near beer" and was classified as a soft drink. The Columbia Brewery managed to survive prohibition and in 1949 they were bought out by Heidelberg Brewery. Heidelberg was in turn purchased by Carling Brewery which operated the Tacoma plant at 2120-32 South C Street until 1979, when it closed.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Offices--Tacoma--1910-1920; Desks; Writing materials; Safes; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People; Schuster, Gustav;

ca. 1923. The rear of Columbia Breweries showing the Northern Pacific Railway tracks and properties across the tracks that faced west to Jefferson Avenue including J.J. Gunlocke Auto Tops who were located at 2121 Jefferson Avenue from 1918 through 1925. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. (This was a copy print made by the Richards Studio of a Marvin D. Boland photograph #B14364)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma);