Last updated on April 10, 2026
The Harvard Company and Weber Dental Manufacturing Company were former manufacturers of dental furniture and equipment in Canton, Ohio.
The Harvard Company and Weber Dental Manufacturing Company were former manufacturers of dental furniture and equipment in Canton, Ohio.
Weber Dental Manufacturing Company was founded in 1898 as a dental furniture factory on South Cherry Avenue. 1 4 In 1937, the company acquired the Harvard Company, which was founded by Frank E. Case, a Canton lawyer, inventor, and businessman who designed and patented the first reclining dental chair. 1 In 1896, Case hired prominent local architect Guy Tilden to design a purpose-built factory on 13th Street Northeast. Tilden produced a massive Romanesque-style complex that included a fireproof three-story tower for storing documents.
Weber chose to operate from the existing Harvard facilities. 1 4 By the 1960s, Weber Dental employed 320 workers and had become the world’s largest manufacturer of dental furniture and X-ray machines. 4
In 1968, Stern Metals Corporation acquired Weber Dental for $5 million and operated it as a subsidiary. 4 In April 1977, after unsuccessful efforts to sell the business, Stern announced that the Weber Dental subsidiary would cease operations. 5 By that point, the closure affected only 18 employees.
A major arson fire destroyed a significant portion of the factory on October 27, 2011. 3 In June 2013, after years of abandonment, the Joseph A. Jeffries Company of Louisville proposed redeveloping the former Weber Dental and Ohio Cast Products properties as a new 26-acre industrial park. 1 2 To support that effort, the Canton Community Improvement Corporation acquired 17 previously foreclosed parcels for $564, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency soon began the first phase of environmental cleanup. 1
Sources
- Rink, Matthew. “New industrial park planned for NE Canton.” Canton Repository 19 Jun. 2013: n.p. Web.
- Matas, Alison. “Environmental remediation planned for former Weber Dental site.” Canton Repository 9 Nov. 2015: n.p. Web.
- Monseqicz, Lori. “Blaze at former Weber Dental Building labeled as arson.” Canton Repository 28 Oct. 2011: n.p. Web.
- “Canton Firm to be Acquired.” Akron Beacon Journal 14 Nov. 1968: C17. Print.
- “Weber Dental is closing.” Akron Beacon Journal 2 Apr. 1977: A5. Print.
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