Grand Rapids Cycle Company Factory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Grand Rapids Cycle Company Factory
|
|
Factory fire, February 2007
|
|
 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 514 Butterworth St. SW, Grand Rapids, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1895 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Demolished | 2007 |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000600 |
| Added to NRHP | June 16, 2004 |
The Grand Rapids Cycle Company Factory was an important old factory building. It was located at 514 Butterworth Street SW in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Sadly, a big fire destroyed the factory in 2007.
Contents
History of the Bicycle Factory
For a short time, from about 1890 to 1903, Grand Rapids was a major city for making bicycles. There were as many as six different bicycle makers there! The very first one was the Grand Rapids Cycle Company. Local business people started this company around 1890. They began making bicycles by 1891.
Building the New Factory
At first, the company's sales doubled every year. By 1895, their first factory was too small. So, they started building a new, bigger factory on Butterworth Street. The company quickly moved all their production to this new spot.
Changes in the Bicycle Business
However, in 1897, bicycle sales started to drop. This happened because many people already had bikes. In 1899, the Grand Rapids Cycle Company joined a much larger company called the American Bicycle Company. About 35 other bicycle companies also joined this group. But bicycle making stopped in Grand Rapids by 1900. The American Bicycle Company itself went out of business in 1903.
Later Uses of the Factory Building
After the bicycle company, other businesses used the factory.
- In 1902, the C. S. Paine Company, which made lacquered furniture, bought the building. They used it until 1924.
- Then, the Williams-Kimp Furniture Company took over. They made fancy mahogany furniture.
- In 1951, the Baker Furniture Company bought Williams-Kimp. Furniture making at the factory then stopped.
- From 1952, the American Seating Company used the building as a warehouse. They stopped in 1957.
- In the mid-1960s, a company called Star Mist Foam Rubber Company briefly used the building.
- Starting in 1970, the Kent Foundry operated there until 1994.
- After that, the building was empty for many years.
The Factory's End
In the early 2000s, there were plans to fix up the old factory. The idea was to turn it into apartments. But in 2007, a fire completely destroyed the building. Today, Grand Valley State University uses the land where the factory once stood.
What the Factory Looked Like
The Grand Rapids Cycle Company Factory was made of three main parts.
- The first two parts were built in 1895. They were two separate buildings at first.
- One building was two stories tall. It was at the corner of Butterworth Street and Front Avenue.
- The second building was three stories tall. It was separated from the first by a ten-foot space.
- In 1912, a third part was added. This new section connected the two original buildings. It also filled in the space between them.
All three parts of the factory were built with cream-colored bricks. They had wooden floors and flat roofs. The windows were tall and narrow, with rounded tops. The part of the building that used to be the office had special rounded openings for its windows.
