One of the satisfactions from writing these stories is learning more about manufacturing processes and associated terminology. Gravure engraving is both a production method and the name of a company.
Engraving can take place on many materials, including metal, stone, plastics, wood, and more. However, I learned that gravure engraving is a process in which an image is first etched onto a metal plate, then affixed to a cylinder, where the plate's cells hold ink. The cylinder with plate rolls through an ink pool, and the excess is mechanically scraped off by a blade. The inked cylinder then rolls over the medium to produce a high-quality finished product.
Some examples of the early uses and finished products of gravure engraving include mass-produced magazines, gift wrap, wallpaper, and packaging materials.
With this background, this is the story of Holyoke's Gravure Engraving Company.
The Gravure Engraving Company was founded in Holyoke in 1947. Its principals were Frederic E. Revaz of Glen, New Hampshire, and William Bemis of Longmeadow. The former was employed by the Jersey City Printing Company, the latter by Fiberloid Corporation of Indian Orchard, which later sold to Monsanto.
Frederic E. Revaz was born in 1902 in Switzerland and was later a championship-level skier. At the age of 14, he entered the printing business. In 1928, at age 26, he moved to New Jersey to serve as an instructor at a gravure and offset factory until 1944. It was also in 1944 that Frederic Revaz and his wife, Suzanne (Gagnebin) Revaz, owned and operated the Glenwood-on-the-Saco Inn in Glen, New Hampshire, a business they ran until 1955.
At the encouragement and recommendation of Charles F. Moriarty, the president of Morart Engraving Company, Mr. Revaz moved to the Holyoke area and formed Gravure Engraving Company with William Bemis.
The company made the gravure rolls and plates for Morart Gravure Corporation of Holyoke. Initially, the Gravure Engraving Company was not involved in the mass production of the final products identified in the examples above.
The company established itself on the second floor of Holyoke Water Power Company's (HWP) Norman division at 222 Water Street at the northeast corner of Appleton Street. This was another of HWP's spaces available to house start-ups or relocated businesses. 6,000 square feet of manufacturing space was available for Gravure's 12 or so workers.
The company continued to grow, and in 1955, plans were made to relocate to a larger plant. Again, Holyoke Water Power Company was involved in the development of the 50,000-square-foot parcel in Springdale Industrial Park.
The 12,500-foot one-story plant would be newly constructed and located at the corner of Main and Stebbins streets. There would be ample room for the company's expansion. Once the building was completed, the parcel would be purchased by Gravure Engraving Company.
Groundbreaking for the new building occurred on June 7, 1955. The construction contractor selected for the job was Daniel O'Connell's Sons.
On November 3, 1955, HWP completed the sale to Gravure Engraving Company. The relocation from Water Street to the new plant occurred in mid-November 1955.
In October 1958, the company announced it would add 5,000 square feet to its 12,500-square-foot space. Daniel O'Connell & Sons was the selected contractor. Another 1,200 square-foot office expansion occurred in 1965. A 3,000 square-foot steel, aluminum, and concrete building was erected in 1966.
The success of Gravure Engraving was its diversification, rather than specializing in one size of gravure engraving cylinders. Cylinders from 3 to 60 inches in length and 2 to 72 inches in circumference were manufactured based on order specifications.
The story continues in the final chapter to follow.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Assessors' Office Online MapGeo Search
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