Houston Ice and Brewing Company



[Houston Ice and Brewing Company's Magnolia Brewery —  magnoliaballroom.com]

On August 13, 1913, the Houston Ice and Brewing Company—a now defunct local business—was at the height of its popularity. Their fan-favorite beer, the Southern Select, was unrivaled at the Exposition Universelle et Internationale, an event more universally known as the World’s Fair in Belgium. And, while you can’t find Southern Select in stores today, you can find remnants of their massive success, right here in Fire Station No. 6.

What now occupies the Magnolia Ballroom was once The Houston Ice and Brewing Company, one of the most successful brewing companies in Houston. Located in the Historic Market Square District in Houston, The Houston Ice and Brewing Company began as an ice and ice machine manufacturing facility in the late 1800s. Due to the business’s success, the company entered the beer market by establishing the Magnolia brewery.

























[Brewing Magnolia Beer — magnoliaballroom.com

The Magnolia would soon release Southern Select, a beer that trumped nearly 4,000 other beers to be awarded the Diplome de Grand Prix at the Exposition Universelle et International, Gent. Southern Select helped propel the Houston Ice and Brewing Company to become the largest brewing company south of Milwaukee, unfortunately, prohibition took its toll on the business, forcing its eventual closing.

While you can’t buy a draft of Southern Select at your local bar these days, the Houston Ice and Brewing Company lives on within our home; Fire Station No. 6. With an assorted collection of these vintage bottles, Axiom proudly displays these remnants from the pre-prohibition era inside Fire Station No. 6—a building that still functioned as the local fire station during the height of Sothern Select’s popularity. Today, both original buildings remain. And, just like FS6, the Houston Ice and Brewing Company’s original location is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



[Houston Ice and Brewing Co. Embossed Bottle — taverntrove.com

As one of the oldest buildings in the Greater Houston Area, locals can still visit what was once the Houston Ice and Brewing Company’s building, now called the Magnolia Ballroom on Franklin Street.

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