American Seating Company Factory Complex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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American Seating Company Factory Complex
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Location | 801 Broadway Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
Built | 1888 |
Architect | Osgood and Osgood; Neiler, Rich and Company |
Architectural style | Late Victorian, Early Commercial, et al |
NRHP reference No. | 03000687 |
Added to NRHP | July 25, 2003 |
The American Seating Company Factory Complex was a really old factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was where the American Seating company made lots of furniture. This important place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 because of its history.
The Story of American Seating
Imagine a time when school desks were made by hand! In 1885, some smart business people in Grand Rapids, Michigan, started a company. It was called the Grand Rapids School Furniture Company. They made furniture for schools and offices.
Their business grew super fast! By 1888, they were selling over 65,000 school desks every year. Later, in 1899, their company joined with 18 other furniture companies across the country. They became the American School Furniture Company.
A few years later, in 1905, they changed their name to the American Seating Company. It became one of the biggest employers in Grand Rapids!
Growing the Factory
The factory kept growing. In the 1920s, they added a power plant and a big warehouse. The company even made it through tough times like the Great Depression. During World War II, they helped the country by making things for the war effort.
In the 1980s, the company had some money problems. It was sold to another company from Atlanta, Georgia. But by 1987, it was back under local control. Sadly, the original factory building was taken down in 2016.
What the Factory Looked Like
The American Seating Company factory was a huge place. It had fourteen main buildings and two smaller ones. These buildings were built between 1888 and 1978. The whole area was about twenty acres, which is like 15 football fields!
The very first factory building from 1888 was made of cream-colored brick. It was four stories tall. Later, the power plant and warehouse added in the 1920s were also four-story brick buildings. Other buildings were added over the years, making it a very large complex.