West Bend Brewery Demolition Revisited Five Years Later

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Five years after the demolition of the former West Bend Brewery began, the iconic building is nearing the end of its life. Contractors are carefully dismantling the metal-sided structure on top of the brewery, while bulldozers work at ground level to push piles of cream city bricks onto pallets. The landmark chimney, which has stood since the 1900s, is expected to come down this week as the entire building is razed to make way for new apartment development.

Why it matters

The West Bend Brewery was a longstanding landmark in the community, with its distinctive architecture and history dating back over a century. Its demolition marks the end of an era and the continued transformation of the local landscape as older industrial buildings give way to new residential and commercial development.

The details

Demolition crews have been methodically taking apart the West Bend Brewery piece by piece over the past several days. Workers in a lift have been manually pulling apart the metal-sided structure on top of the building, while bulldozers on the ground level have been pushing piles of cream city bricks onto pallets for removal. The iconic chimney, which has stood since the early 1900s, is expected to be taken down this week as the entire building is razed to make way for new apartment construction.

• The demolition of the West Bend Brewery began around five years ago, in October 2021.
• On Tuesday, March 4, 2026, contractors were actively dismantling the metal-sided structure on top of the building.
• The landmark chimney, which has stood since the 1900s, is expected to be taken down this week as part of the ongoing demolition.

What’s next

The demolition of the West Bend Brewery is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, clearing the way for the construction of new apartment buildings on the site.