Detroit Copper and Brass

On this site, once owned by Christian Buhl—alderman, city mayor, police commissioner and banker—stands the former office of the Detroit Copper and Brass Rolling Mills Company. Buhl was the first president of the company, which was incorporated in 1880. Company owners erected this brick Georgian-style office building in 1906. Detroit Copper and Brass Rolling Mills was the largest fabricator of copper and brass in Michigan. As the primary provider of exterior ornamentation and brass engine parts for the Ford Motor Car Company, Detroit Copper and Brass played a major role in helping to build Detroit’s reputation as “the city that put America on wheels.” The company was absorbed by Anaconda Copper and Brass in 1927.