Anheuser-Busch Brewery - BGT History - Busch Gardens Tampa History

It all started with the brewery. The Busch Gardens we know today exists because the Anheuser-Busch company opened a new brewery in Tampa in 1959. In an effort to promote the company’s products, tours of the brewery were given as part of a free attraction which also included manicured tropical gardens and a collection of exotic birds.

Fast Facts:

Official Open Date: June 1, 1959
Close Date: December 21, 1995

History

It was reported in April of 1957 that Anheuser-Busch Inc. was interested in establishing a facility in Florida to meet the competition of larger brewer Schlitz, which was planning a new brewery of its own in the city of Tampa. Both Jacksonville and Tampa were interested in landing the new Anheuser-Busch brewery. The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce worked to make Tampa the top choice for the beer company, though even into June 1957 the brewer continued to stress they were looking at multiple sites not only in Florida, but across the southeast US as they wanted to expand their capacity in markets that continued to grow.

On July 25, 1957, Anheuser-Busch announced it would build its new Florida facility in Tampa on a 160-acre tract of land that was part of the former Henderson Airport. The land was purchased from the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce for $320,000 and was part of a larger proposed industrial park encompassing approximately 1,000 acres. It was also located just south of the new Schlitz brewery.

At the time of the announcement, Anheuser-Busch estimated the new brewery would cost between $20 and $25 million to build and have a production capacity of between 600,000 and 800,000 barrels per year. In addition to the beer, it was expected the facility would also produce other goods like yeast. Work was scheduled to begin on the new brewery beginning in late 1957 or early 1958. It was expected to employ around 800 initially, mostly local hires, and up to 1,400 when in full operation.

Test brewing commenced at the new facility on March 12, 1959, with the bottling, warehouse, and office areas still being completed. The first full batch of finished beer was expected to be shipped on or around May 18. The brewery initially had a capacity of over 500,000 barrels per year and served five states.

The brewery and the rest of the gardens were officially dedicated on March 31, 1959, in a ceremony held at the park for around 2000 dignitaries, invited guests, and members of the press. Company president August A. Busch Jr. said at the dedication, “In constructing this new brewery, Anheuser-Busch wanted to do more than just build a factory. It is our company’s belief that a modern industrial plant should also add to the area in design and landscape.”

Tours of the brewery began when the park officially opened to guests on June 1, 1959. Along with gifts for the first visiting public guests, brewery manager Kenneth Bitting presented a plaque and first officially produced bottle from the plant to Louis Swed, owner of one of the largest wholesale distributors of Anheuser-Busch products in the country, who provided support for the new brewery and gardens being located in Tampa.

At the time of opening, hours for the brewery tour were 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays, with the rest of the gardens open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Within the first two weeks, more than 20,000 guests visited the brewery and gardens, exceeding the company’s expectations. This included 3,500 guests visiting on Sunday, June 7 alone. The high attendance resulted in personnel increases and updates to visiting hours. Both the brewery and gardens were open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday. The brewery was closed on Sundays, but the gardens were open from 1 to 4 p.m. Both were closed on Mondays. Admission remained free.

In a June 1960 newspaper article, Anheuser-Busch company president August A. Busch Jr. shared the first details on two new projects at the gardens, including one for $350,000 with an escalator to carry guests to the brewery roof as part of their tour. It was to be named Stairway to the Stars.

A labor dispute led to the brewery and park being closed to guests from July 25 through August 2, 1960. Brewery production and maintenance employees of Teamsters Local 388 walked off the job Friday, July 22 when a local contracting firm, Cone Brothers Construction Co., attempted to deliver a load of cement to the park for the new escalator project. Cone Brothers had been facing its own strike from the Teamsters and Operating Engineers Union for several weeks that also had several acts of violence related to it.

Anheuser-Busch sued the Teamsters on July 27, charging that the walkout and secondary boycott were illegal labor practices. The lawsuit alleged $375,000 in damages and asked for an additional $125,000 for each day the strike continued. The park announced on August 2 that they had reached an agreement with the Teamsters, although details of that agreement were not shared. Brewing was resumed at midnight, and Busch Gardens was scheduled to reopen to guests on August 3.

The park officially announced the project to enhance the brewery tour experience on October 22, 1960. The project’s centerpiece was Stairway to the Stars, an outdoor escalator billed as the longest in the world at 86 feet, carrying guests up to the 43-foot tall brewery roof. Once atop, guests would enjoy the views from a 1,000-square-foot observation deck before continuing along an elevated walkway of pre-stressed concrete and into a new sheltered area adjacent to the brew hall. Once inside, guests would continue on the tour, which included a new three-dimensional display and audio system explaining the brewing process in an air-conditioned gallery.

The project also included a 5,000-square-foot reflecting pool below Stairway to the Stars, complete with fountains, lights, and two large planters featuring tall Phoenix reclinata palms, with additional exotic and rare plants surrounding the pool. Also part of the project was a new cantilevered bridge over the entrance to Stairway to the Stars, connecting the exit of the brewery tour to the gardens near the Hospitality House. Construction was underway when the park announced the project in October 1960, and it was reported it would be completed in January 1961.

Concept art from a newspaper article on the project announcement:

The project was designed by Eleanor Le Maire, a New York interior decorator. St. Petersburg landscape architect Charles R. Wedding, who designed the gardens for its opening, returned to design the landscaping for this project. Otis Elevator Co. built the escalator and said it was the longest continuous motorized stairway in the world at the time.

Also part of the project was a new cantilevered bridge over the entrance to Stairway to the Stars, connecting the exit of the brewery tour to the gardens near the Hospitality House.

Stairway to the Stars formally opened on March 22, 1961, with a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Tampa mayor Julian Lane, Mrs. August A. Busch Jr., her husband (president of Anheuser-Busch) and several members of the company’s board of directors were on hand for the ceremony, which included cutting a ribbon of flowers to celebrate the opening.

Demand for Anheuser-Busch products continued to grow since the brewery opened. In a May 1962 newspaper article, it was reported that the facility was unable to keep up with the sales demand in Florida alone, with products having to be shipped from St. Louis to supplement.

By 1967, the brewery was listed as a $37 million facility with a capacity of over 1 million barrels serving only the state of Florida. The brewery continued to operate at the park until late 1995 when it was closed as part of corporate restructuring. At the time, it was Anheuser-Busch’s smallest brewer employing approximately 375 workers. The last of the beer was shipped out of the brewery in early December, and the final handful of workers closed out their final shift at 3 p.m. on December 21, 1995.

It was later demolished and a large portion of the land it occupied was used for Gwazi, a dueling wooden roller coaster that opened in 1999.

Images

Being the main reason for Busch Gardens’ existence, it should be no surprise that a great number of postcards, photographs, and other souvenir and advertising items were centered around the brewery. In the gallery below are some postcards of the brewery from different angles, both where it is the main subject in the image and where it shows up in the background.

Additional details and images on the Anheuser-Busch Brewery may be added in the future.

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Last update: March 23, 2025