What Is the Dr. Pepper Syrup Plant?
Today, this historic building is part of a shopping area called Pepper Place!
What Makes It Historical?
From its invention by Mr. Charles Alterton in 1885 until the eve of the Depression in 1926, Dr. Pepper soda was a pretty small business based in Waco, then Dallas, Texas. That all changed when Mr. J.W. Link took over as president in 1927 (President Pepper? Dr. President?) and added 20 new bottling companies in cities like Birmingham. What he didn’t realize was that it was very costly to ship their signature soda syrup from Dallas to all their bottling companies across the South!
Enter the Birmingham Industrial Board, whose main goal in the early 1930s was to bring in any additional business to a city hit very hard by the Depression! They negotiated for a second Dr. Pepper syrup plant right here in Birmingham, where it was much cheaper to transport sugar in and syrup out! With the help of local architect, David Oliver Whilldin, Birmingham’s Dr. Pepper syrup plant opened in September of 1931 with 19 employees and churned out 10,000 gallons of syrup a day all the way until 1982!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the Birmingham Historical Society!
- Donate to the Birmingham Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
2829 2nd Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35233
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
See the historical exterior any time you like! Inside are all modern businesses!