The Union Drawn Steel Company building at 237 Joseph Campau Avenue was designed by Albert Kahn and constructed in 1916 as a Detroit warehouse for the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania-based steel manufacturer. A May 28, 1916, Detroit News article reported that Union Drawn Steel had purchased several parcels along Joseph Campau, between Wight and Guoin streets, and was erecting a large warehouse with second-floor offices on the site. The property had railroad facilities on both sides and stood directly across from the Parke, Davis & Co. complex.

The reinforced-concrete building measures approximately 141 by 125 feet and combines a straightforward industrial form with Kahn’s characteristic emphasis on efficiency and natural light. Originally fitted with large steel-sash window walls and a raised roof monitor, the warehouse was designed for the storage and distribution of Union Drawn Steel’s products. Union Drawn Steel produced cold-drawn steel bars and other specialized steel products used in automobiles, machinery, agricultural equipment, and other industries. Its expansion into Detroit reflected the company’s growing Midwest distribution network.

Today, the historic building has a very different role, housing Atwater Brewery and its taproom, bringing a contemporary destination to one of Detroit’s surviving early industrial structures.