It was July 1914, and George Sinclair continued to move forward on his plans for his Smith's Ferry property. The greenhouse foundation was in progress, and soon Hichings & Company greenhouse engineers from Elizabeth, New Jersey, would install the glass. The building required 24,000 square feet of glass, which weighed 48,000 pounds. Holyoke's Lynch Brothers would construct the chimney.
The anticipated completion date for the project was August 25, 1914. Mr. Sinclair planned to keep the Oak Street greenhouse until there was a good time to sell it.
In 1915, the business began accepting telephone orders. Customers would indicate the amount they wanted to spend, and the order would be arranged and delivered. Also, that year, to support the Belgian Relief effort during World War I, Mr. Sinclair donated all proceeds from two days' sales. The flowers were discounted to attract more customers and increase the donation.
In 1917, Sinclair, The Florist, won the Skinner Cup at the 5th Anniversary of the Holyoke-Northampton florists and gardeners show.
One of Mr. Sinclair's valued helpers in the greenhouses was his sister, Minnie Sinclair. In 1928, Mr. Sinclair's daughter, Viola, opened a landscape department at the greenhouses. She had taken courses at Massachusetts Agricultural College and received her degree from the Lowthorpe School at Groton. She had long been associated with her father's business.
Mr. Sinclair had also been a chairman of the Parks & Recreation Commission in Holyoke. He generously gave of his evergreen stock to beautify the city's parks. He hoped his 1937 contribution would greatly benefit Anniversary Park, the dingle, Soldier's (Crosier) Field, and the Riverside Park dike. His gifts were magnanimous without expectation of return.
In 1941, Mr. Sinclair opened a branch florist shop at 869 Hampden Street at the corner of Pearl Street.
In 1943, the former Sinclair greenhouse and house at 166 Oak Street were torn down. This was also the voting center for Ward 5, Precincy C, which then moved to St. Paul's Church at Appleton and Linden Streets. His florist shop was located on the west side of Northampton Highway, opposite the greenhouse road in Smith's Ferry.
Mr. Sinclair spent much time giving presentations to various area charitable and civic groups. He was in high demand for speaking engagements on horticultural topics.
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
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