HOUSTON — The Beer Can House, one of Houston’s most beloved folk art landmarks, has officially been recognized on a national scale.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the Beer Can House, along with 18 others around the country, has been added as an affiliate member of the prestigious Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) network.
This program aims to preserve the legacy of artistic creativity across the U.S. This announcement marks the largest expansion of the HAHS program since it was founded in 2000.
“This extremely diverse group represents the richness and breadth of place-based art legacy in this country. It has been a pleasure to witness some of these sites evolve from nascent preservation initiatives to spaces of meaningful public engagement and to welcome them into membership alongside other more established sites that are at important moments of new expansion, innovation, and storytelling,” said HAHS Director, Valerie Balint.
The Beer Can House now stands among 80 historic locations across 31 states.
Located on a quiet street in Houston’s Rice Military neighborhood, you might hear the Beer Can House before you see it. Over 50,000 beer cans adorn the house once home to John Milkovisch. Cans, tabs and tops were also arranged into curtains, mobiles and wind chimes.
Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, began his project in 1968, inlaying his yard with marbles, rocks and colorful metal objects because he “got sick of mowing the grass,” according to the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art.
The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art acquired and restored the Beer Can House after Milkovisch and his wife, Mary, passed away.
You can visit the Beer Can House, located at 222 Malone Street, for free Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.