Campana Factory - Batavia, Illinois - Art Deco - Art Nouveau on Waymarking.com

The Campana Factory building was built in 1937. The Art Deco styled building was designed by architects Frank D. Chase and William James Smith. The building constructed with an all steel frame with glass blocks and bricks for the exterior walls. The tower in the middle of the building houses a 45,000 gallon water tank used for water circulation for air conditioning and fire sprinklers. The Campana company manufactured the popular product, Italian Balm, a hand lotion and a number of other feminine products. During World War II, with the anti-Italian sentiment the balm was renamed Campana Balm after the doctor who hand formulated the hand lotion. The Campana Corporations became part of the Purex Corporation in 1962. The cosmetics continued to be manufactured at the factory for a while, in recent years the building has been vacant. Currently some work is being done on the building but unsure of what will become of the building.