Brunswick balke collender9/28/2023 For those unable to reach the downtown library, a station was established in 1943 in the building on Mondays between noon and 1:00 p.m. Dances were common with local musicians performing. In 1922 the BOY SCOUTS used the site for their annual banquet. (10) The building was soon made available to the community. In 1920 the company employed nearly 1,300. The entire building was heated with steam and constructed with plans for future expansion. The stage and cinema screen were located at the east end of the assembly hall. Directly over the main entrance was the location of the operator's quarters and motion picture equipment. A modern apartment with living room, library, bedroom and bath for the custodian adjoined the kitchen. A dish-washing machine and automatic rinsers and driers handled all the utensils. Food was prepared with gas, steam and electricity. The 20' x 20' kitchen was located at the east end of the second floor and opened to the cafe through a colonnade entrance. Within the assembly hall was the cafe which daily fed more than five hundred people. The assembly hall on the second floor was 40' x 100' and was free of any pillars. The rooms were supplied with davenports, rockers, library tables, draperies, a piano and a phonograph. The "girls'" area included a lobby, cafeteria which opened on to the veranda, a kitchenette and dressing rooms. Adjoining the main recreation room were lockers, show/bath rooms, and a store room. Equipment included four bowling alleys, six billiard tables, and space for card tables. This opened into the men's main recreation room measuring 40' x 125'. To the right of the main entrance was the employees' store. Two large stairways on either side of the foyer led to the cafe and assembly hall on the second floor. From there entry to the men's recreation quarters on the south side and the ladies' portion on the north side could be achieved. The main entrance on the west of the building led to a large foyer. An open-air veranda was completed on the north end of the building to overlook the park. The second story formed a pyramid to obtain the maximum sunlight and ventilation. The two-story building measured 65' x 150' and was constructed of Artcraft hollow tile and Italian stucco. Construction of the building under the supervision of designer Fridolin HEER began in 1919 on a slight knoll at the south end of the company's location in an area called "Brunswick Park." (7) The story ran under the title "Recreation Building for the Emloyes(sic) of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Plant Sets a New Standard for Dubuque Factory Welfare Enterprise." The formal dedication of the recreation center took place on February 28, 1920. The company began the production of radio cabinets in the 1920s. The company's East Orange, New Jersey plant could not keep up with demand for cabinet work needed for their phonographs. In 1914 a contract was received from the Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph Company. (5) The bars won design awards at international exhibitions and were used in popular bars and restaurants around the country. Billed as the "Largest Bar Fixture Factory in the World," the company employed five hundred people. Located at Jackson Street and 32nd Street, Brunswick manufactured and shipped bar equipment around the world. (3) People on the north-end of the city soon became accustomed to the plant whistle that sounded the beginning of the workday, noon break and 30 minutes later to signal back to work, and the end of the day. In 1912 the first shipment of new machinery and supplies arrived on 25 railroad cars. By January 1913 the company hoped to have 1,000 workers. (1) Brunswick insisted that those employed belong to the union affiliated with the line of work for which they were hired. ![]() The company also agreed to hire five hundred male employees the first year. Brunswick agreed to construct a building costing at least $150,000 of which &75,000 was to be given by the DUBUQUE INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION. ![]() The property was conveyed by the CHICAGO GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD from land which had been used for division terminals in the city. Work began in June and when completed the plant encompassed 35 acres. Originally offered as special order items, these items developed such demand that in 1911 a new factory was built in Dubuque, Iowa. Expansion of the product line included elaborate and ornate front and back bars made of rich woods, flawless mirrors, and stained glass. By 1884, Brunswick a Chicago-based company, joined with rivals to become “The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company,” the largest billiard equipment operation in the world, larger than all its competitors combined.
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