A company with roots in Holyoke continues to display its name on products manufactured and sold today. This is the story of a business that got away. The company slogan stamped on each toilet seat was, "The Best Seat in the House."
The C. F. Church Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1901. The president was Charles F. Church, and John Bolt was the Treasurer.
In its infancy, the company manufactured various bathroom accessories, including medicine cabinets, seats, mirror frames, and towel racks. It stood out from its competitors, as Charles Church had developed a celluloid polish called Pyralin that added a durable layer of protection to its manufactured goods. This coating protected the products from chipping and marring.
The initial plan was establishing the business at the old Coburn plant on Bigelow Street at Appleton, part of Holyoke Water Power's Mills. The company moved in and started production. However, as with other companies that enjoyed a successful start, more space was soon needed.
The company moved in 1903, leasing space from the Wagner Spring Company at 258 Hampden Street, at the corner of Walnut Street.
In 1906, the company advertised a stock offering of 5,000 shares at $25 per share. The business grew quickly, and additional capital was needed to hire labor and increase production.
The company soon outgrew its Hampden Street plant. The Wagner Spring Company, which held the lease, decided to expand, forcing C. F. Church to seek a new location.
The company's attempts to work with the Holyoke Board of Trade to find suitable space in Holyoke were unsuccessful. This and a destructive fire that occurred on April 14, 1912, prompted the Board of Directors to call for a shareholder vote regarding moving from the city. At the August 17, 1912, meeting, the Board announced the company would move from Holyoke.
The company claimed twenty-five towns were vying for the company. Keene, N.H., and Easthampton, Mass., were the front-runners.
Ultimately, Keene's offer was too late, as the company set in motion construction in the Willimansett section of Chicopee at the corner of Montgomery and Orange Streets. The new plant would be a one-story 225 ft. by 40 ft. factory building, resulting in 150% more floor space than it had in Holyoke. The new facility in Chicopee opened in the autumn of 1913.
The company continued to expand and opened factories in Brattleboro, VT (1920), and Monson, MA (1930). By 1930, it employed 450 and dropped its entire product line, except for toilet seat production. At its peak, the company employed 750 at the three facilities.
American Standard, the corporate parent, invested $1m to update the three factories in 1955.
The Chicopee and Brattleboro sites were consolidated into Monson in 1962. The Monson plant shut down in 1985. The remaining 75 workers were offered positions at the Bemis Mfg. Co. plant in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Bemis had owned the company since 1968.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Union-News; publication dates and pages are shown.
Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke & Chicopee, Massachusetts, Holyoke Public Library
History of Massachusetts Industries Chapter XXVII, Orra L. Stone, 1930
The 258 Hampden Street location of the C. F. Church Mfg. Co. (1903-1912) is highlighted in blue.
No comments:
Post a Comment