Weis Manufacturing Company building
|
Weis Manufacturing Company | |
|
View of the main building from Union Street | |
   Location within the state of Michigan | |
| Location |
800 West 7th Street Monroe, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°54′56″N 83°24′39″W / 41.91556°N 83.41083°WCoordinates: 41°54′56″N 83°24′39″W / 41.91556°N 83.41083°W |
| Built | 1905 |
| NRHP Reference # | 81000313[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 26, 1981 |
The Weis Manufacturing Company, currently known as WoodCraft Square,[2][3] is a former factory located at 800 West 7th Street (at the intersection with Union and originally the building used an address of 61 Union[4]) in the city of Monroe in Monroe County, Michigan. It was listed as a Michigan Historic Site and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 26, 1981.[1][3]
The factory complex was constructed between 1905–1912. It was built along with many other new industries during Monroe's sudden economic growth at the turn of the twentieth century.[5] When completed in 1912, the complex consisted of three main buildings for a total of 120,000 ft² (11,150 m²) and employed 300 people. From 1912–1964, the company produced paper and office equipment.[3] In 1964, the complex was purchased by Floral City Furniture Company, a subsidiary of La-Z-Boy, which was based in Monroe. A few years later, the Weis complex was renamed the La-Z-Boy Chair Company. In 1978, the facility was completely vacated when the main La-Z-Boy headquarters on North Telegraph Road expanded to include their own manufacturing complex.[3]
WoodCraft Square
The city of Monroe purchased the unused complex from La-Z-Boy for only $1 in 1980, where it continued to remain abandoned and boarded up for several more years. The city converted much of the main building into a low-income senior citizens residence, although the outside of the structure has remained unchanged since it was originally built. The complex's name was changed to WoodCraft Square and currently has 208 renovated units.[6]
References
- 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 11, 2009.
- ↑ Monroe County Planning Department & Commission (14 Oct 2009). "Monroe County Comprehensive Plan" (PDF). p. 48. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 State of Michigan (2001–2003). "Weis Manufacturing Company". Retrieved November 16, 2009.
- ↑ "File Your Letters". The Independent. Jul 13, 1914. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ↑ Old Village Plat Neighborhood Association (6 Apr 2007). "The History of the Old Village Plat of Monroe, Michigan". Retrieved November 18, 2009.
- ↑ WoodCraft Square (2014). "Woodcraft Square". Retrieved January 4, 2014.
