Beer Can House

By Todd Moning
FMCA.com editor

Parts of more than 50,000 empty beer cans adorn the house, trees and fence of the property at 222 Malone St. in Houston, Texas.

John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer with the Southern Pacific Railroad, spent much of his time covering the exterior of his house with sheeting made from thousands of beer cans.

He also used the cans to make fences, curtains, mobiles, sculptures, windmills and wind chimes.

A house preserved
John Milkovisch died in 1988, and his wife, Mary, passed away in 2002. They lived in the home since 1942, raising three children.

Beer Can House, at 222 Malone St. in Houston, Texas, now is owned by the Orange Show for Visionary Art, a preservation and education organization in Houston.

Currently, the home is a private residence. A local metal artist lives there and helps maintain the property. Passersby are welcome, but use common courtesy and never enter the property without permission.

Big supply of brew
Milkovisch drank about six cans of beer a day — Coors, Texas Pride and various on-sale brands — and never threw away the cans. When he retired from railroad in 1976 he noticed that he had accumulated more than 20 years worth of beer cans in his garage and attic.

The cans decorating the house wouldn't interest a beer can collector, for they are far from "mint" condition. In the early 1970s Milkovisch began cutting off the tops and bottoms of the cans and hanging strings of them from the eaves.

In the mid-'70s he got an idea that, if carried out, meant he would never have to paint his house again. He split and flattened the can cylinders, riveted them together into sheets of siding, and attached the sheets to the sides of his house.

Hard yard
The garlands of beer-can tops, bottoms and pull-tabs hanging over the driveway create an immediate impression on visitors and passersby at 222 Malone St. It's not only Beer Can House that's eye-catching, but the yard.

In 1968 Milkovisch began to fill in the front and back yards with concrete blocks, each inlaid with marbles, rocks or metal. He used the blocks to make patios, flower boxes and fences.

Soon his entire yard was covered with cement, as Milkovisch wanted, because he said he was tired of mowing the grass.

Other family members contributed to the decor, too. In the backyard, Mary decorated a small tree with plastic lemons from the grocery store. In the front, the Milkovisch's son Ronnie built a beer can fence and gate.

With all the RV rallies, travel and spending time with the grandkids, motorhomers might not have the time or materials for beer can upholstering. In Houston, drive or walk by the house of someone who did, and then ask yourself: folk art, or not?

Beer Can House is at 222 Malone St., two blocks north off Memorial Drive (off Interstate 45) between Shepherd Drive and Loop 610. On a breezy day, just listen for the chiming pull-tab streamers ...

Parking for towed vehicles is available on nearby streets.

Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
www.orangeshow.org