For 84 years, the Jax Brewery made beer on the banks of the Mississippi. Now it sells souvenirs. Progress is complicated.
The Jackson Brewery building stands on Decatur Street at the edge of the French Quarter, its red brick facade facing the Mississippi River and Jackson Square. For most of its life, it was exactly what its name promised — a working brewery that produced one of the South's most popular beers. Today it's a shopping and entertainment complex, and whether that counts as preservation or loss depends entirely on your perspective.
Beer on the River
The Jackson Brewery was founded in 1890 by Lawrence Fabacher, a German immigrant who brought Old World brewing traditions to New Orleans. The location was ideal: the Mississippi River provided water and transportation, and the French Quarter location put the brewery steps from the city's thirstiest customers. Fabacher's timing was good, too — New Orleans in the 1890s was a booming city with a deep appreciation for beer, thanks in large part to its substantial German immigrant population.
The brewery produced Jax Beer, which became one of the most popular brands in the South. The name "Jax" — a shortened version of Jackson — was catchy, easy to remember, and became ubiquitous across Louisiana, Mississippi, and the broader Gulf South. Jax Beer signs hung in bars and restaurants throughout the region, and the brand developed the kind of loyal following that local beers commanded in the era before national brands consolidated the industry.
The Jax Beer Era
At its peak, Jax Beer was a regional powerhouse. The brewery expanded its production capacity multiple times, and the brand became deeply embedded in the social fabric of New Orleans. Jax sponsored local events, advertised on radio and television, and became as associated with New Orleans nightlife as jazz and oysters. A cold Jax was what you drank at the corner bar, at the crawfish boil, at the family barbecue.
The brewery building itself became a landmark. Its prominent position on the riverfront, with its tall smokestack and industrial architecture, made it one of the most visible structures in the French Quarter. The smell of brewing hops would drift across the neighborhood, a sensory reminder that this was a working industrial facility in the middle of one of America's most famous historic districts.
Jax Beer also had one of the great advertising slogans in Southern beer history. Generations of New Orleanians could recite the brand's taglines from memory, and Jax promotional materials — signs, trays, bottles, and advertisements — are now sought-after collectibles that command serious prices among beer memorabilia enthusiasts.
The End of Brewing
The forces that killed Jax Beer were the same forces that decimated regional breweries across America in the mid-20th century. National brands — Budweiser, Miller, Schlitz — had the marketing budgets and distribution networks to overwhelm local competitors. The economies of scale that came with massive national production made it increasingly difficult for regional brewers to compete on price.
The Jackson Brewery changed hands several times in its later years as ownership groups tried to find a path to profitability. In 1974, after 84 years of continuous operation, the brewery produced its last batch of beer. The building fell silent, and one of the longest-running breweries in the South went dark.
The Fire and the Rebirth
In 1975, just a year after closing, a devastating fire swept through the brewery building. The blaze caused extensive damage and threatened to destroy the structure entirely. For a moment, it seemed like the Jax Brewery might simply be lost — another New Orleans landmark consumed by time and circumstance.
Instead, the fire became a catalyst for transformation. The damaged building was purchased by developers who saw potential in its prime French Quarter riverfront location. After extensive renovation, the Jax Brewery reopened in 1984 as a shopping and entertainment complex — one of the early examples of the adaptive reuse trend that would become common in American cities in the following decades.
The conversion preserved the building's exterior character, including its distinctive brick facade and industrial architectural elements. Inside, the brewery's open industrial spaces were converted into retail shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The Brewery, as locals call it, became a tourist-oriented destination that capitalized on the building's history and location.
The Debate
The Jax Brewery's transformation into a shopping mall is one of those New Orleans stories that people feel two ways about simultaneously. On one hand, the building was saved. A devastating fire could have been the end of it, and instead, the structure was preserved and given new life. The brewery building still stands on Decatur Street, still faces the river, and still contributes to the architectural character of the French Quarter. That's no small thing in a city where historic buildings are constantly under threat.
On the other hand, a working brewery that produced a beloved local product was replaced by a tourist shopping center. The building survives, but the activity that gave it meaning does not. The smell of hops has been replaced by the smell of pralines and po-boys. The workers who once produced something tangible have been replaced by retail employees. The building is still there, but its soul — the thing that made it the Jax Brewery rather than just a building — is gone.
This tension between preservation and purpose is one of the central questions of historic preservation, and the Jax Brewery embodies it perfectly. Is saving the shell enough? Or does a building need its original function to be truly preserved?
Jax Lives On
The Jax Beer brand itself has had something of an afterlife. The name has been revived periodically by different brewing companies, trading on the nostalgia that the brand still commands in the Gulf South. Old Jax Beer signs, bottles, and memorabilia remain popular collectibles, and the brand's place in New Orleans' drinking history is secure regardless of what happens inside the building.
Meanwhile, the craft beer revolution that swept America in the 21st century has brought small-batch brewing back to New Orleans in a big way. Local breweries like NOLA Brewing, Urban South, and others have revived the tradition of locally made beer that Jax once represented. The spirit of what the Jackson Brewery stood for — a New Orleans beer made for New Orleans people — lives on, even if it's no longer being made on Decatur Street.
The building endures on the riverfront, a red brick reminder of a time when the French Quarter was as much an industrial neighborhood as a tourist destination. New Orleans has always been good at holding onto its buildings, even when it can't hold onto what happened inside them. The Jax Brewery is proof of both.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Jax Brewery operate?
The Jackson Brewery was founded in 1890 by Lawrence Fabacher and produced beer until 1974 — an 84-year run. After a fire in 1975 and subsequent renovation, the building reopened in 1984 as a shopping and entertainment complex.
What is in the Jax Brewery building now?
The former brewery building on Decatur Street in the French Quarter now operates as a retail and entertainment complex, housing shops, restaurants, and other tourist-oriented businesses. The building's historic exterior has been preserved.
What was Jax Beer?
Jax Beer was one of the most popular regional beer brands in the South. Produced at the Jackson Brewery in the French Quarter, it was widely consumed across Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf South. The brand name was a shortened version of "Jackson."
What happened to the Jax Brewery after it closed?
A year after the brewery ceased production in 1974, a major fire damaged the building. Developers purchased the property, renovated it, and reopened it in 1984 as a shopping complex — one of the early adaptive reuse projects in New Orleans.
Can you still buy Jax Beer?
The Jax Beer brand has been revived periodically by different brewing companies trading on the name's nostalgia value. Vintage Jax Beer signs, bottles, and promotional materials are popular collectibles among beer memorabilia enthusiasts.
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