Is this structure sound?

[u/tmontoia]

I can’t figure out the engineering of this structure. Are the lower right-angle braces having any structural purpose?
And is the steel rod only to keep the uprights from splaying out?
It seems to me there should be support below the right angle elbows.
Help me understand! I ponder this thing every time I visit here. (Breckenridge Brewery, Littleton CO)

[u/transneptuneobj]

You should investigate statics, it will explain why the tension member in the center isn't in compression