The opportunity to document a significant industrial site facing the threat of demolition is a rare occurrence, as most sites are inaccessible due to security concerns, reluctant owners or property managers, or liability issues. However, nestled in a corner at the junction of Lisbon and Evins streets in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) converged, stood a collection of businesses that left an indelible mark on Cleveland’s history, growth, and influence.
The opportunity to document a significant industrial site facing the threat of demolition is a rare occurrence, as most sites are inaccessible due to security concerns, reluctant owners or property managers, or liability issues. However, nestled in a corner at the junction of Lisbon and Evins streets in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) converged, stood a collection of businesses that left an indelible mark on Cleveland’s history, growth, and influence.
While the precise industry that first established itself in the area remains unknown, an 1898 Sanborn Map overlaid on a 2006 aerial photograph revealed that the earliest occupants were the Cleveland Rubber Company, the Peerless Manufacturing Company, and the Glidden Varnish Company.
A 1912 Sanborn Map illustrated a slightly different composition and additional buildings.
The Cleveland Rubber Company, founded in 1877 at Ellsworth and Lundy streets, manufactured belts, hoses, rubber clothing, and rings. It became part of the Mechanical Rubber Company in 1893 and later acquired the Sawyer Belting Company, only for the entire enterprise to be absorbed by the Rubber Goods Manufacturing Company.
The Sawyer Belting Company was formed in 1892 by H. M. Sawyer, a manufacturer of oil clothing, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In its early years, the company produced 600 feet of canvas-stitched belting per day. Its growth was so rapid that Sawyer relocated to a new factory on Lisbon Street on January 1, 1906, doubling the available space. Production expanded to the point where more than six miles of belt were manufactured daily.
The Rubber Goods Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1899 in New Jersey and produced rubber automobile tires, bicycle tires, hoses, and belting. One-third of the company’s stock was owned by the United States Rubber Company.
The United States Rubber Company, incorporated in 1892 in New Jersey, manufactured rubber boots and shoes. Through numerous acquisitions, it had become the largest consumer of crude rubber.
In July 1905, the company acquired a controlling interest in the Rubber Goods Manufacturing Company and owned 90% of the stock by the end of 1906, eventually taking full ownership. At its peak, the United States Rubber Company listed its subsidiaries in the Mechanical Goods division as the Sawyer Belting Company, Indiana Rubber, Eureka Fire Hose Manufacturing, Peerless Rubber Manufacturing, Revere Rubber, Mechanical Rubber of Chicago, and the aforementioned Mechanical Rubber of Cleveland. Today, the United States Rubber Company is known as Uniroyal and is part of the Michelin Group.
Another significant industry was the Glidden Varnish Company. Founded by Francis Glidden, the company manufactured thousands of gallons of varnish per week for streetcar and railcar operators. It relocated to Lisbon Road after purchasing the Forst City Paint & Varnish Company in 1875 – then known as Glidden & Joy – and expanded in 1882 with the completion of a warehouse, boiler house, and office, all designed by local architect George Hammond. In 1888, Glidden built a second factory at the corner of Madison and Berea avenues, also designed by Hammond. It was eventually renamed the Glidden Varnish Company.
Due to explosive growth, Glidden relocated its facilities to Madison and Berea in 1906. Today, Glidden is one of the largest paint manufacturers in the United States.
Another listed plant was the Peerless Motor Car Company. Established in 1889 as the Peerless Wringer & Manufacturing Company, it was known for its washing machine wringers and bicycles. In 1895, Peerless relocated to Lisbon Road and entered the automobile market in 1901. Initially, it produced De Dion-Bouton vehicles under license from the French company. Still, it later became known for its premium automobiles and was part of the “Three-P’s of Motordom,” alongside Packard and Pierce-Arrow.
In 1904, Peerless announced that it had purchased 5.5 acres of land at 9400 Quincy Avenue and had already begun constructing a two-story, 258-foot by 50-foot-long machine shop. This was followed by a foundry, an erecting shop, and a painting and upholstering shop. The company expected to double its automobile output over the next year, as its location was insufficient for expansion. The new Peerless plant opened in 1906.
However, its conservatively-styled vehicles, long intervals between new car introductions, and the Great Depression led to a slowdown in sales during the 1920s. The last car was manufactured in 1931, and Peerless then repurposed the former automobile plant to bottle beer under the Carling Brewing Company in 1933.
The buildings were divided into an early industrial park after the United States Rubber Company closed its Lisbon Road location. In 1933, several buildings were sold to the Gerson-Stewart Corporation, which manufactured cleaning compounds, sanitation chemicals, and floor preservatives. The company operated until 1966 when the Lisbon site was closed.
Another building was sold to the Strong & Cobb Company, which grew into one of the largest custom pharmaceutical formulators in the nation. It relocated from its site along the Central Viaduct to Lisbon Road in 1932 and closed its operations in 1972 when it moved to Cincinnati.
Other tenants included the Ohio Confection Company, Pennsylvania Refining Company, Western Machine & Dye Company, Western Biscuit Company, H.J. Heinz Company, and Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company.
Most of the site has since been demolished or abandoned. The remaining buildings will be razed to make way for the Opportunity Corridor, a four- to six-lane roadway connecting Interstate 490 to the Cleveland Clinic complex, marking the end of an era for this historic industrial district.
