The Lemp Brewery was founded in 1840 by German-native Adam Lemp, who immigrated to St. Louis with his son, William, in 1838. Adam Lemp, who died in 1862, introduced German beer to St. Louis. Within two years William relocated the brewery to its present site to make use of Cherokee Cave for beer storage. After 1892 the firm was called the William Lemp Brewing Company.

After Prohibition killed the Lemp brewing business, the International Shoe Company purchased the property in 1922, using it primarily for storage. Recently, some of the floor space has been used for art exhibitions.

The Lemps chose the Italian-Renaissance style for their brewing complex throughout its nearly forty-year building history. Some of the turn-of-the-century buildings were designed by Widmann, Walsh & Boisselier, successor firm to E. Jungenfeld & Co. of St. Louis.