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Borden Milk Co. Creamery and Ice Factory

Milk Production in Tempe

By Corie Owen
Pacific Creamery Co. Fire Insurance Map
Pacific Creamery Co. Fire Insurance Map Fire insurance map of the Pacific Creamery Co., which would later be named the Borden Milk Company Creamery & Ice Factory in 1927, made by the Sanborn Map Company in 1911. The map contains a detailed layout of the building in order to help insurance companies determine potential hazards or risks of the property. The map's caption also describes the functions and properties that allowed the Pacific Creamery Co. to operate. Source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC Creator: Sanborn Map Company Date: February 1911

The Four Peaks Brewing Company building in Tempe once had a life as the Borden Milk Co. Creamery and Ice Factory, a local milk producer.

The Borden Milk Co. Creamery and Ice Factory was one of Tempe's largest employers when it operated from 1927 to 1953. Before it gained this reputation, however, its property at 1300-1360 East 8th Street originated as the Creamery Complex which was constructed in 1892 to serve as the ice plant of F. A. Hough, a pioneer ice maker. For ten years, the Creamery Complex worked as the Tempe Creamery and the Tempe-Mesa Produce Company. By 1907, the popular California business, Pacific Creamery Company, bought the property. Pacific Creamery had about fifty workers, making it one of Tempe's largest employers at the time. The company was most famous for its condensed "Lily" milk that was produced by Salt River Valley cows. The Borden Milk Company gained ownership of the property in 1927 and made many modern improvements and expansions, including updating the building to reflect the Spanish Revival architecture style. After its closure in 1953, the Four Peaks Brewing Co. moved into the property in 1995, keeping the legacy of the Borden Milk Co. and its predecessors alive today.

Images

Pacific Creamery Co. Fire Insurance Map
Pacific Creamery Co. Fire Insurance Map Fire insurance map of the Pacific Creamery Co., which would later be named the Borden Milk Company Creamery & Ice Factory in 1927, made by the Sanborn Map Company in 1911. The map contains a detailed layout of the building in order to help insurance companies determine potential hazards or risks of the property. The map's caption also describes the functions and properties that allowed the Pacific Creamery Co. to operate. Source: Library of Congress, Washington, DC Creator: Sanborn Map Company Date: February 1911
Pacific Creamery Co. Lily Milk Crate
Pacific Creamery Co. Lily Milk Crate The Pacific Creamery Co. was known for its evaporated milk product known as "Lily" milk. Made locally in Tempe with Salt River Valley cows, the Pacific Creamery had been producing 20,000 cans, or 40,000 pounds, of the milk in June of 1921. Lily milk was so popular in Arizona that the city of Tempe celebrated "Lily Day" with milk trucks, Lily tea biscuits, and other Lily products. Source: Pinterest /MADvertisingVintage on Etsy.com Creator: Pacific Creamery Co.
1300-1360 East 8th Street
1300-1360 East 8th Street The Pacific Creamery Co. was once the Creamery Complex that was built in 1892 and located on "Old Eighth Street" in Tempe; it operated as the Tempe Creamery and the Tempe-Mesa Produce Company. In December 1907, the Pacific Creamery Co., a popular California business, bought the Creamery Complex. The Borden Milk Company acquired ownership of the complex in 1927 until it shut down in 1953. The Four Peaks Brewing Company bought the vacant property in 1995. This photo taken in ca. 1910 shows the property when it was the Pacific Creamery. Source: Visit Arizona /Tempe History Museum on Facebook Date: ca.1910
Panoramic View of the Pacific Creamery Co.
Panoramic View of the Pacific Creamery Co. Street scene of the Pacific Creamery Co. in ca. 1915 of delivery wagons and workers standing out front. Bill Williams is standing third from left wearing suspenders with his hands in pockets. The building contains a "Lily Milk" sign, which is the company's most famous product, on the top of the building. Source: Glassdoor/Tempe History Museum, 1987.1.2922  Date: ca.1915
Lily Milk Special Delivery
Lily Milk Special Delivery The Pacific Creamery Co. originated in California before it opened its second location in Tempe in 1907. The company would deliver its famous Lily milk product via wagon as seen with this advertisement of a Black delivery driver at the Territorial Fair in Phoenix. The Pacific Creamery Company was one of Tempe's largest employers at the time. Source: Arizona Origins on Facebook Date: 1907
Four Seasons Brewery
Four Seasons Brewery After taking over the Pacific Creamery Co., the Borden Milk Co. Creamery and Ice Factory operated from 1927 to 1953. The building was vacant until the Four Peaks Brewery bought the property in 1995. Four Peaks is still open and is located at 1340 East 8th Street #104 in Tempe. Despite more modern decorations, the Four Peaks still houses the original Mission Revival style structure that was constructed in 1927. Source: Arizona Origins on Facebook

Metadata

Related Resources

  1. "Borden Milk Co. Creamery and Ice Factory." Tempe.gov. City of Tempe. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.tempe.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/338/2856?npage=2.
  2. "The Resiliency of 8th Street - Four Peaks History." Four Peaks Brewing. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.fourpeaks.com/news.
  3. National Register of Historic Places, Borden Milk Co. Creamery and Ice Factory, Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona, National Register #8400171.
  4. "Lily Day At Tempe Attracts Nearly Full Membership Of Phoenix Rotary Club." The Arizona Republic. April 13, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/168408395/.
  5. "Evaporated Milk Product of Pacific Creamery Company Has No Superior in World." The Arizona Republic. July 11, 1921. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic/154056305/.
  6. "Borden Purchase of Tempe Condensing Plant Great Forward Step For Dairy Industry." The Arizona Republic. December 26, 1926. https://www.newspapers.com/image/116800755/.

Citation Info

Corie Owen, “Borden Milk Co. Creamery and Ice Factory,” Salt River Stories, accessed November 18, 2024, https://saltriverstories.org/items/show/291.
Published Dec 18, 2017. Last updated Oct 28, 2024.

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