John's Blog

Anyone who has driven the Garden State Parkway or who has seen The Sopranos is likely to be familiar with the giant Pabst bottle that towered over the brewery complex. But the 75 year reign came to an end on Monday when the
Pabst bottle came down.

The bottle, was originally built as a water tank for a company that made ginger ale. After Pabst acquired the site the bottle was painted blue and adorned with it's beer bottle label. The last few years it has been a lovely red color, probably rust, befitting the abandoned brewery complex. The complex is being demolished to make way for a shopping center, another sign of the times as we shift from a manufacturing economy to a service economy.

Attempts to get landmark status for the bottle failed, and there are vague commitments that the bottle will be reassembled and will reappear elsewhere, but that remains to be seen. Let's hope for a creative rebirth.