Wisconsin Chair Company
The Wisconsin Chair Company[1] was a manufacturer of furniture and crafted wood products from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. It ran a large factory that for over half a century was the economic backbone of Port Washington, Wisconsin. The factory was destroyed twice: the first time by a huge, devastating fire in 1899 and the second time by demolition in 1959.
Formation
The company was organized in 1889 by John Bostwick, a local jeweler and son-in-law of Barnum Blake. He was one of the largest investors and eventually owned most of the shares and became president of the company. The first plant built by the Wisconsin Chair Co. became the largest employer in the area, providing work for one-sixth of the Ozaukee County work force. Its presence was most likely the chief reason that the city's Port Washington population increased from 1,659 in 1890 to more than 3,000 by 1900.
1899 fire
Surviving its first financially difficult years, the Chair company suffered its worst blow in 1899 when it was totally leveled by fire. The fire engulfed much of downtown Port Washington and engines from Sheboygan and Milwaukee were called in to help contain the blaze. The glow from the fire could be seen as far away as Whitefish Bay.
The company showed its resiliency by immediately rebuilding, and for many years remained the backbone of Port Washington's economy. The incredible success story eventually ended as sales and profits became smaller and production slowed down.
20th century
After Bostwick's death in 1935, Wisconsin Chair was run by Otto Moeser, a company trustee.[2] The company almost failed during the Depression, and survived in part by limiting mass production and instead producing craft pieces for the luxury market.[2]
The company had a number of specialized divisions. One, the National School Equipment Co., manufactured school chairs and desks, usually under government contracts.[2]
The plant was a union shop under the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.[2]
Paramount Records
Wisconsin Chair Company produced phonograph cabinets. To help with phonograph sales, WCC created and ran Paramount Records, a record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Closure
By 1954,[2] the company had closed its doors and its sprawling but inefficient 1900 plant, which, like the 1889 plant, was located behind and east of the N. Franklin Street business district, partially encircling the city's inner harbor, has now been completely demolished.
Today there is a historic plaque in the area where the plant once stood detailing the 1899 fire.[1]