Beer Can House

I finally made it to the Beer Can House. When this Houston icon was undergoing renovations several years ago, I helped out the cause by popping open a few beer cans. That is, I spent a day at a downtown warehouse popping open vintage beer cans for replacement parts to use on the house (and it was more than just a few; more like a few hundred). Unlike the creator of the house, John Milkovisch, we did not drink the beer in the cans to get our supplies; most were empties that collectors had donated, and the ones that still had beer (or remnants of beer in them) were tossed. The biggest surprise was the large number of Billy Beer cans they had. I vaguely remember hearing about this beer in the 1970s, but I promptly forgot all about it (rather like America did with Billy Carter). The pulltops we removed were used on chains that adorn the house, and the rest of the cans were saved for other volunteers to cut up later for additional parts.

Beer pulltab chain on the Beer Can House

I timed my visit perfectly since the day I went (Wednesday June 8) was the first of their weekday summer hours. I was the first visitor of the day (and probably their only one). This house, at 222 Malone Street, is just a stone's throw from Bayou Bend, so I easily could have visited it before; just poor planning on my part. The inside of the house contains a ten-minute film on the house by Scott Prescott and 2nd Unit productions. There are also photos, tools used to create the house, beer cans, and several items that were originally part of the exterior of the house that were brought indoors.

When a neighbor (who did not own a dog) put up a "Bad Dog" sign, Milkovisch responded by putting up a "Bad Cat" sign

But it is the exterior of the house that people come to see. When retired railroad worker John Milkovisch got tired of mowing grass, he paved over the yard with a mixture of cement, marbles, and other found objects. When he tired of painting the house, he covered it in beer cans. Actually, there is a lot of speculation on why Milkovisch really transformed his house into an homage to his favorite drink, but like most visionary artists, he clearly could see something that others could not.

The Beer Can House is truly amazing, and it is difficult to do justice to the creativity and ingenuity with words. You should watch this short Beer Can House Video with Jeff Hilliard to get a better idea of the place.

Front door of the Beer Can House, covered in beer labels

"Wind chimes" on the side of the house, made from tops of beer cans

Street address, made from marbles

One of my favorite items come from John's wife, Mary (who helped him drink a lot of the beer). She must have been a very understanding wife to let him transform their home, and she told him that he could do whatever he wanted to on the outside of the house, but the inside was hers. Still, she wanted a plot of land on the outside to make her mark, so around 1980, she added this lovely lemon tree.

Lemon Tree made with ReaLemon containers

I am not much of a beer drinker myself, but I could not resist raising a glass to one of Houston's quirkiest houses. So, I filled my Beer Can House pint with my malt beverage of choice, Smirnoff Ice, and I vowed to return soon.