Back in 1968, John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, started on his epic project now known as The Beer Can House. Decorating his Houston home with over 50,000 beer cans after finishing the landscaping for his front and back lawns, Mr. Milkovisch was compelled to do this because he “got sick of mowing the grass.” Covering almost every square inch of his home with some form of aluminum or tin can, he unknowingly created one of the greatest examples of pure American folk art.

John & Mary Milkovisch

Continuing to work on the house for the next 18 years, the home features beer top garlands, flattened can siding, and fences created out of linked beer pull-tabs. The work is staggering.

Houston has some of the finest art museums in the country, but isn’t it amazing when you see something thats done purely for the unexplainable joy of creating? There are many fantastic quotes from Mr. Milkovisch on the house’s website, but my favorite has to be “People say this is sculpture, but I didn’t go to no expensive schools to get these crazy notions” – “I don’t consider this art. Its just a pastime, but sometimes I lie awake at night trying to figure out why I do it“.

If that’s not art, I don’t know what is.

The Beer Can House, 222 Malone Street (between Memorial Drive and Washington Ave) Open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5. Admission is $1 and tours are $5 for a guide to walk you through.

“He didn’t think anybody would be interested in it. He just loved drinking his beer and loved being outside cutting up his cans“- Mary Milkovisch

Filed under: Art & Culture, Houston, Style by Stephen : No Comments »