Red Ammonia Compressor at the Former Schmidt Brewery

The Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company operated this complex on West Seventh Street in St. Paul from the 1900s until its closure in 2002. Ammonia compressors like this one powered the plant's refrigeration systems, a necessity for lagering beer at controlled temperatures before modern electric cooling took over. The brewery traces its roots to 1855 as the North Star Brewery, later reorganized under Jacob Schmidt in 1900, and grew into one of the largest beer producers in the Upper Midwest. Machinery of this kind remained in service for decades after brewing ceased, left in place when production ended. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has since been redeveloped into apartments known as the Schmidt Artist Lofts.