Today's account takes us back to the C. W. Rackliffe Building at 9 Suffolk Street, the mid-20th-century home of the Con-Four Tool & Die Company. Some may recall this as the Suffolk Theater building at the intersection of Suffolk and Railroad (now Heritage) Streets. The theater occupied much of the ground level of the Rackliffe building. Construction plans were filed with the city Building Inspector on June 12, 1912, and one year later, the Rackliffe's owners were leasing space in the six-story building.
The 1950 Holyoke City Directory lists several small businesses on the upper floors. These include print, engraving, and machine shops; a letter-mailing service; a dress manufacturer; a chiropractor; and a ruling-and-binding company.
The story of Con-Four Tool & Die Company begins with Charles J. Connon and Paul H. Fournier, whose first letters of their surnames gave rise to the business name Con-Four. Messrs. Connon and Fournier, both born and educated in Holyoke, were long-time machinists employed by the National Blank Book Company.
During the early stages of World War II, Mr. Connon was selected to instruct a machinist's course in conjunction with the Holyoke Trade School. National Blank Book Company provided access to its machinery from 11 PM to 7 AM to accommodate these training sessions. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) assigned students to these courses and paid them their WPA wages. The goal was to add to the machine trades during the war years.
Around 1947, the partnership, Con-Four Tool & Die Company, began operations in Room 32 of the Rackliffe Building. The partnership continued for 10 years until 1957, when it was dissolved. Mr. Fournier continued to operate the business as a sole proprietor into the early 1960s. By 1964, the business had been transferred to Stanley Trasko, and Mr. Fournier was subsequently employed by Acme Chain Corporation.
The business continued into 1965, but beyond that year, no further information was discovered. A corporation by the same name was formed in South Hadley in late 1984 and dissolved 7 years later.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): including Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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