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Adolphus Busch
The Kirby's Builder
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| Born in 1839 in Kastel, Germany, Adolphus
Busch was the second of 22 children born to Lilly and Ulrich Busch, a prosperous merchant,
innkeeper and landowner. Adolphus was educated at the finest schools available, including
the Collegiate Institute of Brussels. In 1864, his
father-in-law enticed him to join the management of his brewery. Adolphus worked in both
businesses until 1869, when he purchased half ownership of the Bavarian Brewery and merged
it with Anheuser. Busch took increasingly greater responsibility for the brewery's
operation, opening up new markets, introducing new technical developments and modernizing
business functions.
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In the late 1860s and early 1870s, Adolphus traveled extensively throughout Europe to
observe and study various brewing techniques. While in Europe, Adolphus became aware of
Louis Pasteur's efforts to preserve beer by destroying harmful germs with heat. Busch was
the first U.S. brewer to pasteurize his beer, permitting it to be shipped great distances
with no loss of quality or taste. |
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In 1879, the company was renamed Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association.
Adolphus served as president for 33 years. In 1910 when a team of Dallas leaders traveled
to St. Louis to talk to Adolphus, he had just completed the Oriental Hotel (now the Baker
Hotel), which was one of the finest hotels in the country at the time. Adolphus came to
Dallas shortly thereafter to build the Adolphus Hotel in 1912 and The Kirby Building (then
known as The Busch Building) in 1913. Adolphus died in 1913, the year "The Old
Girl," as the Kirby Building would become known, was born.
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Select from the following to learn more about The
Kirby's history.
| History | | Name | | Year | | Anecdotes |
       
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