Hamilton--Brown Shoe Factory - Columbia, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 57.614 W 092° 19.373
15S E 558665 N 4312581
Historic former shoe factory in Columbia, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WM3JMQ
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2008
Views: 46
"The Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company building, at 1115 Wilkes Boulevard, In
Columbia, Missouri, is significant under Criterion A, in the area of Industry.
The building was built over the winter of 1906-1907, and went into use in 1907.
It served as a Hamilton-Brown shoe factory from then until 1939; the period of
significance thus runs from 1907-1939. The large factory building, which is
intact and a contributing building, is the only resource on the property. The
Columbia plant was built early in a period of decentralization of shoe
manufacturing in the state. In the early years of the 20th century, all of the
major shoe manufacturers in St. Louis, including Hamilton- Brown, began locating
new plants in outstate communities to save labor costs. The Columbia factory was
the first facility that Hamilton-Brown, which was at the time the largest shoe
manufacturing company in the world, operated outside of St. Louis. It was also
the first large-scale industrial facility of any kind to operate in Columbia,
and the largest, and often only, industrial operation in the community for most
of the period of significance. The factory building today provides an intact,
highly significant link with Columbia's early industrial history." ~ National
Register Nomination Form
The building is used for senior service agencies and for other businesses.