The Grain Belt and Schmidt Breweries: Facilitating Their Communities Through Architecture

The Grain Belt Brewery and Schmidt Brewery have been towering over the Mississippi River for well over 100 years. Built for those who were passionate about the art of crafting beer, these two campuses have been transformed in recent years to house those who are passionate about the arts. While using the Grain Belt site as the main case study and the Schmidt site as a minor study, I argue that the two original architects of the breweries and the designers of the recent rehabilitations masterfully utilized the time, space, and significance of the projects to create the success these breweries have seen and continue to showcase. To demonstrate this, David Canter’s theory of place is applied to each site. He states that physical environments become significant due to the interaction between three realms; its physical location, the activities preformed in that location, and the meanings that come out of the combination of the two. The architectural analysis of the façades of the main brewhouses and the examination of their historical, cultural, and contemporary significance sheds light on why it is important to not just save our past, but to repurpose it so generations to come can contribute to and further strengthen their understanding of their community