[Editor’s Note. This article was cross-posted from the blog of Michael C. Wells Photography. It appears here with permission. All photos courtesy Michael C. Wells Photography.]
In Louisville, Kentucky’s Smoketown neighborhood, on the corner of Logan Street and Lampton Street, sits the historic building known best as the Merchants’ Ice Tower. To the casual observer, it appears as if this decaying structure is simply waiting on its demolition date to eventually come. (In fact, a portion of the structure was razed earlier this year.) However, seeing that this building is solid concrete with a brick veneer, demolition seems highly unlikely in the near future. What was once a building of gorgeous Beaux Arts brick, now stands as an eyesore to the community surrounding it.
The tower was originally built in 1881 as the Schaefer-Meyer Brewing Company. Beer production reached over 50,000 barrels per year in 1901 and the Schaefer-Meyer Brewery combined with several other companies under the name Central Consumer Company, and began producing (Frank) Fehr beer.
With a capacity of over two million square feet, the brewery was the largest in the Southern Region of the United States. Schaefer-Meyer was later sold to the Fehr Brewing Company, but the brewing operation did not survive the prohibition in 1919.
To adapt to the changing times, the business changed to cold storage and ice production in 1920. The original facade was emblazoned with a large stone “F” in each corner.
In time, the structure found itself under the new ownership and management of Merchants’ Ice & Cold Storage Company. It is unknown when exactly Merchants’ Ice & Cold Storage went out of business in the tower, but records we obtained indicated that diesel tanks (for the trucks) were being maintained all the way through 1981.
The tower has had a number of potential buyers over the past few decades. In 2006, it was going to become a nice mixture of retail and residential space, but was never fully developed. In 2010, it was going to become one of the nicest senior living and condominium buildings within the Southern region of the United States, but once again that idea was never fully developed.
Near the end of 2010, loose bricks were observed randomly falling from the tower. This issue was resolved by removing the astonishing brick that the tower had on its outer walls. Inside, concrete and cast iron columns still stand firm, holding the concrete tower and the Brew House together. Inside the Brew House is an ornate cast iron staircase.
What will ever become of the Ice Tower? Will it ever be anything more than a piece of history simply melting away from our society drop by drop? For now, its very existence seems to have gone cold in the minds of the people of the City of Louisville.
Wish it would be torn down kids are going up in the building throwing brick down at my car and my wife and kids that have damaged my car the police will not to anything about I’ve called the city nothing is getting done I wish I knew the owner of the building so he can close it up better or keep paying for the damage to my car and house some one is gonna get hurt or killed by them kids throwing bricks off the top of the building what do I have to do to get something done about this situation I’ve been dealing with this for 6 to 7 months of someone could help me and get the building locked up to where no one canvget up in it would be done with me the owner needs to do something about it or I will be contacting a lawyer and we can hand it threw the court’s…
@bradstill Easy! move the car!
Needs to be completely locked down, trespassers keep going in there’s going to be a bigvlaw suit against the city and police dept for not doing nothing about they hit my wife yesterday and bow im contacting my lawyer.. There’s $2,600 dollars in damage to my car that has been done… So the city Wil pay for it cause if they dont want to do nothing about it they can pay for the damages they’ll get tired of it sooner or later…
Is there a eagle’s nest on the top of that bldg?
Yes matter of fact, so many whales nests you wouldn’t believe. Me and my friends ran into the whales the other night.
Amazeballs!!
The ice tower was constructed when a mammoth came upon a woman. The locals said that if one could survive mammoth copulation, you would receive a tower constructed in your honor. The baby was a cross between a man and mammoth, a Manoth if you will. It is said that if you climb to the top of Ice Tower at 3 am and bring food, the Manoth will appear to you, giving you His eternal wisdom. Once the wisdom ritual takes place expect trials for the next 3 moon cycles. The last of which being fighting the Manoth Spirit yourself. Legend states no man nor woman has completed all 3 trials, suggesting the Manoth is no Beast to be reckoned with. If you do complete the ritual, The power of Ice Tower that once bestowed upon the Manoth will be granted to your mortal frame. If Myths prove correct the Manoth Spirit will serve you for eternity as it did for its ancient ancestors. Good luck traveler.
FURTHER RESEARCH CONCERNING THE “Manoth”: JANUARY 24 2024 3:58 am EST. Info Log 12: Dr Shlog and I have conducted trials of research on this abomination of life. So far attempts to fornicate with the creature has failed. The Manoth appears to be half man/half mammoth amalgamation. The lower body being man, upper body being mammoth with a full pair of tusks. Genitalia confirms He is male although One must say it is an under average specimen, coming in at 1.46 inches (3.708 cm metric) determined from Dr Brim and an up close “encounter”. Further research needed… End Log 1/24/24 15:58 EST
The following is an excerpt recovered and translated from a newly found journal at Ice Tower:
October 17 1945
The Manoth has become savage and untamed, several of my men have fallen into his cursed chamber. My assistant was gorged by a tusk the other day and is lucky to have gotten away with his life; he has returned to the Fatherland.
I often dream about the Manoth: It taunts me in my slumber. It knows we will be unsuccessful in our duty to the Reich. The Fuhrer may be dead, but my work and duties continue.
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The rest of the document was torn and unrecoverable.
EVIDENCE LOG: ___ITEM:56###____: SCROLL ESTIMATE TIMELINE 3500 BC Log: 438# 4/2/1943
12:26 EST
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A recent excavation of the Ice Tower has been ordered by our Head of Operations Dienstbach. Progress has been slow and steady, workers have been complaining about the hours. The superior race will Not tolerate such weakness. Violators will be shot and dealt with.
16:26 EST
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Two POW were taken care of, but good news has befallen upon us! A relic we have carbon dated from the ruins of the site was marked by our best Geologist scientists as 3500 BC. The scroll includes inscriptions of an ancient language lost to time, However, our men are working hard to translate the document. So far we understand it says ” The tower was constructed………Manoth……..Baby……………Copulation Trials……………..once must survive………………great burden……………………….moon”
further research is needed…
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-Dr Heinrich
END LOG
May 5, 2017
Dr. Brim and I have discovered a truly remarkable site in downtown Louisville, KY. It is an old abandoned tower called “The Merchants Ice Tower”. Thanks to our guy at Zero Occupancy Urbex, we are detecting unusually large amounts of natural power and radiation coming from underneath the tower; we are unsure of what to suspect. We will begin our research within the coming days.
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-Dr Shoullz
Hey guys,
I created a blog for the legend of the Louisville Manoth. We gotta solve this mystery…
https://sites.google.com/view/merchantsicetower