Cain's Coffee Building facts for kids
The Cain's Coffee Building is a historic building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was built in 1918 and is located at 1 NW Twelfth Street. This five-story building is made of white glazed brick and has an Art Deco style. It also has a full basement and is about 50,000 square feet in size.
The building was first used by different companies, including an Extract Company and the Seelye Mattress Company. But it is most famous for being the home of the Cain's Coffee Company.
The Story of Cain's Coffee
William Morgan Cain Sr. started the company that became Cain's Coffee in 1919. He was born in 1894 and moved to Choctaw, Oklahoma, in 1900. When he was younger, William Cain joined the Navy. During his time in the Navy, he visited Brazil and was amazed by the huge piles of coffee beans on the docks. This experience sparked his interest in coffee.
After leaving the Navy, Cain worked for another coffee company in Oklahoma City. Then, in 1919, he decided to start his own business. He began by roasting, grinding, packaging, and delivering coffee all by himself. He sold his coffee directly to grocery stores.
William Cain was the president of his company until 1937. At that time, he became the chairman of the board. Richard J. Clements, who had invested in the company in 1932, then became the new president. Both Cain and Clements believed in buying coffee, tea, and spices directly from the places where they were grown. They would then ship these raw products to Oklahoma City to be processed and packaged.
A New Life for the Building
In recent years, the Cain's Coffee Building has been beautifully renovated. The LifeHouse organization worked with architect Stanley Engle to bring the building back to life. Stanley Engle studied architecture at the University of Oklahoma and De Montfort University in Leicester, England.
Today, the building is a lively place. It has a museum where you can learn about its history. There is also a coffee shop and a bookstore. Plus, some parts of the building have been turned into apartments. The building is open to the public five days a week, so people can visit and explore its new uses.
More Information
- National Register of Historic Places
- http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/architsurveys/RLSofPortionCentralOKC.pdf
