About this property
The Gold Medal building is a historic factory complex in Racine, Wisconsin. The three-story brick-walled mill-type was built between 1894 and 1924. The Wisconsin Historical Society describes the complex as "one of the best remaining examples of a mill-type factory building" in the state. The Racine Camp Furniture & Novelty Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1890, to manufacture furniture for camping such as tents, folding chairs, and sleeping bags. Supposedly, after the company's furniture won a gold medal at the 1893 World's Fair exhibition in Chicago, the name was changed to the Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company. However, no gold medals were actually awarded at the fair, and there is evidence of the company using the Gold Medal name earlier. The company made the standard cots for the United States military and National Guard, and also created the modern director's chair after its No. 35 folding chairs became popular in Hollywood. In 1979, Gold Medal established a second manufacturing plant in Baxter, Tennessee. In 1986, the company decided to consolidate its operations in the face of increased competition from overseas, and closed the Racine plant. In 2019, the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places at the request of its owner, development firm J. Jeffers & Co., which is currently in the process of converting the historic buildings into an apartment building called Gold Medal Lofts.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company
This page lists Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company listed on the National Register?
Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 2019.
What type of historic resource is Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company?
Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company?
The period of significance for Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1894.
Can I research the history near Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Racine County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Racine County.
Explore RacineCounty ›More historic places in Wisconsin
Browse all historic places in Wisconsin.
View Wisconsinhistoric sites ›Wisconsin history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Wisconsinhistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.