The Van Dorn Iron Works Company

 

The Van Dorn Iron Works was located along East 79th Street in the Kinsman neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio and was founded in 1872 by James Van Dorn as an iron fence fabrication company in Akron. He relocated to Cleveland six years later to be closer to supply and shipping lines.

 

While waiting to submit a bid for cemetery fencing in Milwaukee, Van Dorn overhead someone mentioning jail cell construction. He believed that jail cells were nothing more than indoor fences, and went to add them to the company product line. Within a few years, Van Dorn’s company was the largest manufacturer of jail cells in the United States, some of which were used in the West Virginia Penitentiary among many other places.

 

The company expanded into structural steels by the late 19th century, which coincided with the rise of the skyscraper and then the automobile. One of the Van Dorn's early contracts was the erection of a 16-story iron skyscraper in downtown Cleveland, the Williamson. By the early 20th century, the company boasted over 1,000 employees and an expanded production line that included frames, fenders and other automobile parts for local industries. By 1908, Van Dorn consisted of four departments: the Structural Iron Department, the Steel Jail Department, the Ornamental and Light Iron Department and the Art Metal and File Department. The company also controlled the Van Dorn & Dutton Company that manufactured cut gears for shops, trolley cars and automobiles, and the Van Dorn & Elliot Company. Van Dorn was also pioneered the development of the mechanical dump truck hoist, and later produced tanks and armor plates for Jeeps and aircraft during World War I and World War II.

 

 

In 1916, Van Dorn expanded on the west side of 79th Street by constructing a five-story concrete-reinforced building.

 

Below: The Van Dorn Iron Works encompassed both sides of 79th Street in this 1922 view. The five-story expansion from 1916 is on the right. Image donated by Gerald Adams to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library, Special Collections.

 

 

Below: 1926 views. Images donated by Gerald Adams to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library, Special Collections.

 

 

 

Below: The 1916 addition today.

 

 

In the 1940s, Van Dorn diversified by purchasing the Davies Can Company and the Colonial Plastics Manufacturing Company. By the 1960s, Van Dorn produced drawn aluminum cans for processed foods and plastic injection molding machines.

 

Van Dorn announced that it was closing its plastic injection molding machinery manufacturing plant at its 79th Street location in November 1990, and consolidating its equipment with another site in suburban Strongsville. A dip in earnings for 1990 also brought about the need for relocation and modernization. It’s third-quarter earnings showed a 94% drop in its plastic machinery division, operating at a loss. The facility was also aging and not adept to handling modern assembly operations. In addition, much floorspace was not utilized due to advanced manufacturing methods that simplified the assembly process and cut the number of equipment required. The new production processes included simultaneous building and testing of its subassemblies, team assembly methods, a moving assembly line and the pre-painting of parts.

 

The company also announced that it was seeking to relocate its corporate offices from 79th Street to a new building in the region.

 

The Orlando Baking Company, which had operated on the east side of Cleveland since 1904, had relocated to the five-story Van Dorn building in 1977. It  constructed new production buildings towards the western end of the Van Dorn complex but in the early 2010s, was running short of land and sought expansion space for a new production facility. At the time, production flowed east to west within the bakery, with raw materials delivered on the east side of the bakery and finished goods shipped from the west side. The bakery needed additional space for cold storage on the west side of the complex. Orlando pitched the idea to move maintenance and other functions to the east side of 79th Street, and to construct cold storage facilities on the west side of 79th Street at a total cost of $6 million to $10 million.

 

The bakery, as of 2013, used a portion of the five-story building for storage and office space. A one-story shipping building was used as a repair and fabrication shop for bakery machinery. Another Van Dorn building was demolished in the 1990s for a gravel lot.

 

A Phase I and Phase II environmental assessment was conducted in 2011 on the former Van Dorn property on the east side of 79th Street, paid for in part by the Orlando. Based on the findings, several areas of the Van Dorn property required remediation to protect bakery workers. The city of Cleveland and the Orlando Baking Company submitted a Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund application in January 2012, and received $1.3 million in May 2012. Demolition commenced on the Van Dorn Iron Works site later in the year.

 

Below: Recent photography of the Van Dorn Iron Works in a state of demolition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below: To save on electricity costs, light wells were constructed throughout the complex.

 

 

Below: Inside the 1894 office building.

 

 

 

Below: A passing Norfolk-Southern train on the former Pennsylvania Railroad C&P Division.

 

 

Below: Looking southeastward towards the Mechanical Rubber Company site.

 

 

Saying goodbye to another historic industrial site in Cleveland.

Nice shots Sherman!  You do a good job with your exposures, particularly the staircase one.  Now let me see if I can rustle up any pics from this building.....

Thanks Sherman. Great history of a great company.

 

While I'm sad to see the demolitions, I'm glad that another light-industrial user is coming to the previously unused, rotting site with jobs.

 

That said, I'd love to see that 1916 building on the west side of East 79th Street be redeveloped into apartments. It's a short walk from there to the East 79th Red Line station. Though more retail is needed in the area. But you got to start somewhere.

 

EDIT: BTW, note that the railroad line from which the views south on East 79th were taken. That was the Nickel Plate RR (today's Norfolk Southern Lake Division with the RTA Red Line and the vacated Cleveland Union Terminal passenger train right of way alongside). Before the 1926, the NKP crossed east-side streets with at-grade crossings. After 1928, the NKP (owned by the Van Sweringens) and CUT (owned by the Vans, the New York Central and others) rights of way lowered their rights of way to go under the east-side streets. This followed the Pennsylvania RR (now Norfolk Southern's Cleveland Line) elevating its rail line through the east side in the 1910s.

 

So the Van Dorn Co. was bracketed by two multi-track railroad corridors that raised or lowered their rights of way to reduce congestion and improve safety -- and they used private-sector funding. No taxpayer dollars.

nice work, but depressing to see that. the last thing cle needs are short-sighted teardowns of the remaining historic structures. new empty lots shouldnt be allowed unless something is set to replace what was lost.

Thanks KJP!

 

A sidebar: While watching Made in America, I came across a segment about the Cleveland Arcade (CLEVELAND ARCADE On "Made in America" Hosted by John Ratzenburger). It is fascinating to know that the ornamental iron work was completed by Van Dorn!

nice work, but depressing to see that. the last thing cle needs are short-sighted teardowns of the remaining historic structures. new empty lots shouldnt be allowed unless something is set to replace what was lost.

 

Unfortunately, developers/investors won't even look at a lot with an old, vacant, polluted factory on it -- not when they can look at a clean, green, virgin piece of land at the urban fringe. The only way Cleveland can compete with the urban fringe is to offer what they offer. So they must remove buildings, clean the land and secure covenants not to sue for any pollutants that may still be found in the future.

nice work, but depressing to see that. the last thing cle needs are short-sighted teardowns of the remaining historic structures. new empty lots shouldnt be allowed unless something is set to replace what was lost.

 

Unfortunately, developers/investors won't even look at a lot with an old, vacant, polluted factory on it -- not when they can look at a clean, green, virgin piece of land at the urban fringe. The only way Cleveland can compete with the urban fringe is to offer what they offer. So they must remove buildings, clean the land and secure covenants not to sue for any pollutants that may still be found in the future.

 

Again, CERCLA needs to be drastically revised to fully protect potential land users from legacy liability, provided they hire people and otherwise act responsibly (ISO 14000 certification).

 

Great pics.

nice work, but depressing to see that. the last thing cle needs are short-sighted teardowns of the remaining historic structures. new empty lots shouldnt be allowed unless something is set to replace what was lost.

 

Unfortunately, developers/investors won't even look at a lot with an old, vacant, polluted factory on it -- not when they can look at a clean, green, virgin piece of land at the urban fringe. The only way Cleveland can compete with the urban fringe is to offer what they offer. So they must remove buildings, clean the land and secure covenants not to sue for any pollutants that may still be found in the future.

 

whats unfortunately is that that is a widely held belief, but it isnt true for all cases. one example:

 

 

http://www.fordfactorylofts.com/

 

Few things are true in all cases. But in interviewing developers and investors, that's the responses I've gotten from them. Most want cleaned properties and single-level structures that are energy-efficient for industrial purposes. We have hundreds if not thousands of vacant industrial properties. A few would appropriate for renovation. Most would not because they are either in such bad condition, toxic properties, or they are obsolete for today's industrial needs.

Few things are true in all cases. But in interviewing developers and investors, that's the responses I've gotten from them. Most want cleaned properties and single-level structures that are energy-efficient for industrial purposes. We have hundreds if not thousands of vacant industrial properties. A few would appropriate for renovation. Most would not because they are either in such bad condition, toxic properties, or they are obsolete for today's industrial needs.

 

Nobody wants the potential of legacy liability, and that includes lenders.  Even crime and blight pale in comparison to that concern.  It's less risky to build on a greenfield. 

^ no, not nobody. you make like this was insurmountable, and perhaps it is to the majority of local developers and a city that is not big on landmarking its history, but you cannot speak in such absolutes. some creatively invest in these properties. thats the point. it can be done and it has been done in cleveland and elsewhere. a shame it couldnt be done here because those were rather handsome historic structures.

I wonder how the Opportunity Corridor project will impact the site?

^ no, not nobody. you make like this was insurmountable, and perhaps it is to the majority of local developers and a city that is not big on landmarking its history, but you cannot speak in such absolutes. some creatively invest in these properties. thats the point. it can be done and it has been done in cleveland and elsewhere. a shame it couldnt be done here because those were rather handsome historic structures.

 

I don't deal in absolutes. Sorry if I gave that impression here.

 

I wonder how the Opportunity Corridor project will impact the site?

 

It is proposed to be routed roughly along and slighly south of Grand Avenue, which is the southern part of this site. The boulevard *might* take a chunk out of the far southeast-corner of the Van Dorn site.

 

See ODOT's Fall 2012 map below....

 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/ClevelandUrbanCoreProjects/OpportunityCorridor/Documents/Fall%202012%20OC_Alternative%20Graphic.jpg

Thanks KJP.

 

Looks like with the preferred alternative, more of the industrial site across the C&P will be removed (http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/ClevelandUrbanCoreProjects/OpportunityCorridor/Documents/Central%20Section%20Alt%20B%20Impacts.pdf).

 

Stay tuned on that as well. A post will be coming up today.

^ no, not nobody. you make like this was insurmountable, and perhaps it is to the majority of local developers and a city that is not big on landmarking its history, but you cannot speak in such absolutes. some creatively invest in these properties. thats the point. it can be done and it has been done in cleveland and elsewhere. a shame it couldnt be done here because those were rather handsome historic structures.

 

I don't deal in absolutes. Sorry if I gave that impression here.

 

 

that reply was not directed to you. sorry if switching to the arrow was confusing.

 

 

No prob.

 

And my comments about the Opportunity Corridor are redirected here:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2267.msg663199.html#msg663199

^ no, not nobody. you make like this was insurmountable, and perhaps it is to the majority of local developers and a city that is not big on landmarking its history, but you cannot speak in such absolutes. some creatively invest in these properties. thats the point. it can be done and it has been done in cleveland and elsewhere. a shame it couldnt be done here because those were rather handsome historic structures.

 

I don't deal in absolutes. Sorry if I gave that impression here.

 

 

that reply was not directed to you. sorry if switching to the arrow was confusing.

 

 

 

I'm sure it was to me, but in this case the "nobody" might have been in general but is pretty close to specific. 

 

The hurdles are so high that the very few exceptions pretty much prove the rule.

 

The cities badly need CERCLA reform, but it's unlikely as long as they are dominated by allies of the environmentalist movement.

of course it was to you and no the hurdles do not prove any rule. they are many many cases of urban factory conversions. difficulty is not the sole issue, its more a question of creative will and patience than even money. but we're just going round and round here, so lets just agree to disagree. its just sad to see such nice stock be torn down.

its just sad to see such nice stock be torn down.

 

There, I agree.  We disagree on the reasons why it happens so often, and the best means for preventing it.

Here's a few more pics:

UrbExJan13_080 by KP SMITH, on Flickr

 

UrbExJan13_118 by KP SMITH, on Flickr

 

UrbExJan13_167 by KP SMITH, on Flickr

 

UrbExJan13_111_HDR_1 by KP SMITH, on Flickr

 

UrbExJan13_127_HDR by KP SMITH, on Flickr

 

UrbExJan13_158_HDR by KP SMITH, on Flickr