The Story of the Muehlebach Empire

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George Muehlebach Sr., born on April 24, 1833 in Aargau, Switzerland, arrived in the United States in 1854, part of a wave of European immigrants seeking opportunity in the American Midwest. After stops in Indiana and Westport, Missouri, he eventually settled in Kansas City. Like many immigrants of his era, Muehlebach tried his hand at several trades—harness-making, overland freight, even gold prospecting—before finding his true calling in brewing.

In 1869, George and his brother John purchased the Main Street Brewery near a cold freshwater spring at 18th and Main Streets. This location proved ideal for brewing, and their business thrived. By 1879, production had more than doubled, and in 1880, following John’s death, George constructed a Romanesque-style brewhouse that locals affectionately nicknamed the “Beer Castle.” Over the following decades, the brewery grew to become one of the largest in the city, producing more than 100,000 barrels annually by 1911.

George Muehlebach Sr. died in 1905, but his legacy carried forward under his son, George E. Muehlebach. George E. had grown up in the family business and assumed leadership at age 24, overseeing not just the brewery but also the Muehlebach Estate Company, which managed the family’s extensive real estate holdings.

In 1916, the family opened the luxurious Hotel Muehlebach at 12th and Baltimore, a landmark that would host U.S. presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter, as well as celebrities like Babe Ruth, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles. Though sold in 1931, part of the original hotel survives today as the Muehlebach Tower within the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.

The Muehlebachs also left their mark on the city’s sports scene. George E. purchased the Kansas City Blues in 1917 and built a new stadium, Muehlebach Field, in 1923 at 22nd and Brooklyn. The field would change names and go on to host the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, the Kansas City Athletics, and even the Chiefs.

Like many breweries, the Muehlebach Brewing Company struggled during Prohibition. It survived temporarily by producing soft drinks and a near beer called “Mulo,” but shut down in 1930. In 1938, with new investors and a modern facility at 4th and Oak, the company was reborn. By the mid-1940s, Muehlebach was the largest brewery in the region, reaching sales of over 240,000 barrels.

However, growing national competition and shifting consumer preferences led to declining sales. In 1956, just one year after George E. Muehlebach’s death, the brewery was sold to Schlitz Brewing Company, marking the end of the Muehlebach era in Kansas City brewing.

Although the brewery and stadium are gone, the Muehlebach name still echoes across Kansas City’s historical landscape—etched into its buildings, remembered in its neighborhoods, and woven into the story of its rise as a regional capital.

🎥 Opening Day at Muehlebach Field 1927

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5801 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64113
​Built in 1929 · $2,695,000
Listing/Photos Courtesy - Terry Madden Myers - Compass Realty Group

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ps: then vs. now of Manny's Mexican Restaurant in the Crossroads.