Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company

The Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company is an industrial facility built from red brick situated beside BNSF railroad tracks in East Downtown Albuquerque. The building displays typical late-19th-century factory design with thick walls and straightforward structural elements.

The brewery was founded in 1888 and stopped producing beer when statewide Prohibition laws took effect in 1917. The ice production side of the operation continued running for many decades after brewing ceased.

The facility represents an essential part of New Mexico's industrial development as one of the few remaining 19th-century commercial structures in downtown Albuquerque.

The building sits on Commercial Street Northeast in the historic area of East Downtown. Visitors can study the exterior facade and industrial design from street level, particularly the brickwork details and tracks alongside.

The company brewed a locally known beer called Glorieta that was distributed throughout the southwest region. Ice production continued until 1997, making the site a rare example of continuous industrial activity spanning more than a century.