Beatrice Lang
Western Electric, a telephone manufacturing unit for Bell Telephone, has had a long history of operations in various locations across the globe. In 1946, the company had several locations in the United States, including Chicago, Illinois, where it had acquired a former Studebaker plant on Archer Avenue. The company also established a new plant in Tonawanda, New York, that year, known as the Buffalo Plant. Western Electric's presence in multiple cities across the US during the mid-1940s reflects its role as a major manufacturer for the American Bell Telephone Company and its commitment to meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding industry.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1946 |
| Locations | Chicago, Illinois |
| St. Paul, Minnesota | |
| Tonawanda, New York ("Buffalo Plant") | |
| Jersey City, New Jersey ("Marion Shops") | |
| Duluth, Minnesota | |
| Antwerp, Belgium | |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | |
| Boston, Massachusetts | |
| New York City, New York |
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What You'll Learn
Western Electric's Chicago headquarters
Western Electric was founded in Cleveland in 1869 as a telegraph supply shop. In the same year, Elisha Gray and Enos Barton bought the company and formed Gray & Barton. The company was then moved to Chicago, where it was reorganized under the Western Union in 1872 and renamed the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. It was located on the Near West Side of Chicago, at Clinton Street.
The company's headquarters were moved to a new building on Clinton Street in the early years of Western Electric. The Chicago headquarters had a workforce of 105 men and 25 women by 1880. By 1881, annual sales had grown to nearly $1 million, and the company was purchased by the American Bell Telephone Company, later known as AT&T. The company continued to expand, and by the turn of the century, the Chicago facility employed about 5,300 workers.
In 1904, the company relocated to suburban Cicero, where it built a large manufacturing complex called the Hawthorne Works. This facility became one of the largest manufacturing plants in the world, employing 25,000 people by 1917. The Hawthorne Works was like a fully functioning city, with its own power plant, fire department, retail stores, and recreation center.
Western Electric played a significant role in the development of Chicago's telecommunications and electrical industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company's Chicago headquarters were instrumental in establishing the Western Electric brand as a symbol of dependable quality and original design.
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The Hawthorne plant
Western Electric was founded in Cleveland in 1869 by Elisha Gray and Enos Barton. The company was originally a telegraph supply shop, but Gray and Barton soon moved operations to Chicago, where they were joined by Anson Stager, a former Chief of the U.S. Military Telegraphs. In 1872, the company changed its name to the Western Electric Manufacturing Company and was located on Clinton Street in Chicago.
Over the following decades, Western Electric expanded its operations across the United States and internationally. By the early 1900s, the company had manufacturing locations in Chicago, New York, Boston, Indianapolis, and even Antwerp, Belgium.
One of Western Electric's most notable locations was the Hawthorne plant, also known as the Hawthorne Works. This facility, located in Cicero, just outside Chicago, was established in 1904. The Hawthorne Works became one of the largest manufacturing plants in the world, employing 25,000 people by 1917. It was a self-contained city, with its own power plant, fire department, retail stores, and recreation center.
In the post-World War II era, Western Electric consolidated some of its operations. By 1946, some facilities were relocated to the Hawthorne plant as space became available from the scale-down of war production. The Hawthorne plant also faced a backlog of two million orders for home telephones in late 1945 due to reduced production during the war.
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Buffalo Plant in Tonawanda, New York
In 1946, Western Electric had manufacturing locations in Chicago, New York, Boston, Indianapolis, and Antwerp, Belgium. Western Electric had also acquired a former Studebaker plant on Archer Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.
The Buffalo Plant in Tonawanda, New York, was established in 1946 to produce equipment wiring cable, telephone cords, enamelled wire, and insulated wire. The plant was one of three nationwide Western Electric field engineering sites. The Buffalo Plant was located across from the Niagara River.
Western Electric had a long history of manufacturing in the United States, dating back to its establishment as a small workshop in Cleveland by entrepreneurs Enos Barton and Elisha Gray. The company moved to Chicago and became known as the Western Electric Manufacturing Company, supplying electrical equipment to companies like Western Union and Morse Telegraph Instruments.
By the 1880s, Western Electric had expanded its operations to New York City, setting up shop in a former Western Union building. The company played a significant role in the development of the telephone, with its New York shop moving to a 10-story factory building at 125 Greenwich Street in Lower Manhattan in 1888–1889. This factory manufactured some of the first telephones, and by 1910, Western Electric had produced and installed 5.8 million telephones.
Western Electric continued to innovate, with former employee Lee De Forest demonstrating the "Audion" tube, which laid the foundation for radio and film sound. The company also established the first transcontinental phone lines from New York to San Francisco and developed the first mobile telephone system in St. Louis in 1946.
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Marion Shops in Jersey City, New Jersey
In 1946, Western Electric was located in several places across the United States, including Chicago, Illinois; St. Paul, Minnesota; and New York. In 1947, Western Electric established a satellite shop in Jersey City, New Jersey, called the Marion Shops. This location produced portable test sets, rectifiers, and power equipment for the main plant, known as the Kearny Works.
Marion is a section of Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey. The Marion Section was laid out in the 1870s and was developed in the early 20th century. The area is mostly a low-rise residential district with several new housing developments, light manufacturing, restaurants, LaPointe Park, and the Marion Branch Public Library. Broadway, U.S. Route 1/9, Sip Avenue, and West Side Avenue are the main streets running through the neighbourhood.
Marion is home to two distinct neighbourhoods, separated by PATH rail lines. To the west of Journal Square and north of Holy Name Cemetery, the area is bordered by the districts of Riverbend, Croxton, and the West Side. It sometimes includes the area along the Hackensack Riverfront, Tonnele Circle, and the neighbourhood overlapping India Square.
The area north of the tracks near Marion Junction is surrounded by manufacturing and warehouse buildings, some of which have been designated historic places. The Middle East Center for the Arts (MECA) is housed in a former manufacturing building, and Skyway Park is being developed to connect to the Hackensack RiverWalk.
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The company's global presence
Western Electric had a strong global presence in 1946, with several locations across the United States and a history of international operations.
United States Locations
In the early 1940s, Western Electric had manufacturing locations in Chicago, New York, Boston, Indianapolis, and St. Paul, Minnesota. By 1946, some of these facilities were relocated to the Hawthorne plant in Chicago as the company scaled down war production. The company also acquired a former Studebaker plant on Archer Avenue in Chicago for telephone assembly, producing 100,000 Model 302s telephones by March 1946.
Western Electric established a new plant in Tonawanda, New York, in 1946, producing equipment wiring cable, telephone cords, enamelled wire, and insulated wire. This plant was known as the Buffalo Plant. The company also had a presence in Duluth, Minnesota, with an equipment plant involved in labour negotiations in 1948.
International Operations
Western Electric had a long history of international operations, dating back to the eve of World War I when it had locations in Antwerp, London, Berlin, Milan, Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Sydney, and St. Petersburg. In 1899, the company began a partnership with the Nippon Electric Corporation (NEC) in Japan, further expanding its global reach.
The company also supplied equipment for overseas use, manufacturing cable and wire, switchboards, and communications equipment for America's military installations and Lend-Lease commitments abroad. Western Electric's global presence contributed to its reputation as a global leader in quality and innovation.
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Frequently asked questions
In 1946, Western Electric's headquarters were located in Chicago, Illinois.
Yes, Western Electric had several locations throughout the US in 1946, including New York, Boston, Indianapolis, and St. Paul, Minnesota.
In 1946, Western Electric manufactured a range of telephone equipment, including telephone sets, cables, cords, and switchboards.
Yes, Western Electric had an international presence with locations in Antwerp, Belgium, and London, England, among other places.
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