American Box Board Company Headquarters and Factory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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American Box Board Company Headquarters and Factory
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| Location | 470 Market Ave. SW Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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| Area | 2.24 acres (0.91 ha) |
| Built | 1912 |
| Built by | Horner & Kelly |
| NRHP reference No. | 100005823 |
| Added to NRHP | November 24, 2020 |
The American Box Board Company Headquarters and Factory is an old factory building. It is located at 470 Market Avenue SW in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This important building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
Contents
The Story of the American Box Board Company
Starting Small in Grand Rapids
The American Paper Box Company began in 1903. A group of business people from Grand Rapids started it. For a few years, the company worked from a building on Ionia Street. Then, in 1907, they moved to a bigger building. This new place was on Summer Avenue, west of the Grand River.
In 1910, the American Paper Box Company created a new partner company. This was called the American Box Board Company. It started making paper at a factory near Godfrey and Market Avenues. They also made another company, the American Corrugating Company.
Growing Bigger and Building New
By 1914, the American Paper Box Company joined with its partner companies. They all became one big company called the American Box Board Company. They also bought another company, the Illinois-Michigan Fibre Box Company. This company moved its work from Battle Creek to Grand Rapids.
With so many parts, the American Box Board Company needed a new main office. They also needed a bigger factory. So, they bought land next to their paper mill. They built a new building and moved all their work there in 1914. The new building had space for all the factories. It also had offices for the whole company. By 1917, the American Box Board Company was the second largest business in Grand Rapids.
Through Tough Times and Expansion
The company kept working even during the Great Depression. This was a very hard time for many businesses. About 550 people worked for the company in Grand Rapids. Across the whole United States, about 2500 people worked for them.
After World War II, the company found new ways to use trees. They could now use trees that were not useful before. This helped them grow their operations in Michigan. In 1947, they bought a factory in Filer City. This town is near Manistee. In 1951, they built a new factory in Grandville. This factory cost $2,000,000 and was near Grand Rapids.
A New Name and Future Plans
In 1959, the American Box Board Company joined with two other companies. They formed a new company called the Packaging Corporation of America. The building on Market Avenue SW was used for making things until about 1979.
As of 2020, a developer bought the building. They plan to change it into homes. This means the old factory will have a new life!
What the Building Looks Like
The American Box Board Headquarters and Factory is a two-story building. It also has a basement. It sits on a piece of land that is shaped like a trapezoid. The building is made of brick. It has a concrete base. The bricks on the front sides are red and brown. The other two sides have painted bricks. The roof is flat. It has a low wall around it with special tiles. The building has many windows placed in neat rows.
The front of the building is about 200 feet long. It has ten sections. These sections are separated by brick columns that go up to the roof. Each window has a stone ledge. There is a door in the middle section.
Images for kids
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American Box Board Company building in 1953
