Beer Can House
Beer Can House
222 Malone Street
Houston, TX 77007
Built: The three-bedroom bungalow in the West End neighborhood of Houston was part of a subdivision built in the early twentieth century. John Milkovisch and his wife Mary bought the house in 1942. John began transforming the house in 1968 and continued for 18 years until 1986.
Architect: Homeowner John Milkovisch
Show Description: How one man turned his 6-pack-a-day habit into a shimmering city attraction.
Highlights:
- John collected over 28,000 marbles and used them to first decorate his patio floor, then fence, then sidewalk and kept going from there.
- John and Mary saved empty beer cans for 17 years.
- Ripley’s Believe It or Not, estimated over 50,000 cans of beer were used in the project. A more detailed count by a restoration team puts the count closer to 30,000 cans. (Visitor’s Guide PDF, pg. 15)
Additional information
John Milkovisch didn’t just use beer cans in his grand design. He also incorporated found objects. The television show, Texas Bucket List, toured the Beer Can House in 2014. Reporter Shane McAuliffe points out some of those found “construction materials.”
John Milkovisch’s wife Mary Milkovisch tells Texas Country Reporter Bob Phillips why she thinks her husband started his Beer Can House project.
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In 2001, the Orange Show Foundation purchased the Beer Can House. The Foundation manages another folk art environment – the Orange Show Monument. The monument is in Houston’s East End neighborhood. It is a handmade 3,000 square foot installation that looks like an amusement park and pays homage to the builder’s favorite fruit.
