BUILDING HISTORY
Incorporated in 1968, C & C Building Corporation, a family
owned and operated business, purchased the building formerly known as Gerts Lombard & Company.
Following is a condensed history of the building originally constructed in 1880.
Our Home Town of Chicago in 1850
In 1850 Chicago had been a City for only 17 years. The
population had grown to but little more than 25,000 persons.
Its streets were little more than mud roads. What side-walks
there were, were of wood construction, elevated
alongside the dirt roads. There had been no street lights in
Chicago prior to 1850, when the first gas lighted street
lamps were installed in the business district for the first
time. This occasioned much celebration and fanfare.
The City was served by no railroad from the east until
several years later, but the Galena & Dubuque Railroad, the
forerunner of the Galena Division of the Chicago &
Northwestern Railroad, began operations in 1848, when it
operated over a 10 mile stretch between the Chicago River at
Wells Street and the Des Plaines River in what later became
known as River Forest, Illinois. By 1850 the railroad
extended as far west as the Mississippi River.
The Company Is Founded
Into the Chicago setting of 1850, came a sturdy native of
New England, George E. Gerts, who had served his
apprenticeships in a brush factory in East Boston,
Massachusetts. He founded his little brush manufacturing
business in a little store on Wells Street, just north of
Randolph, which location is now right in the heart of the
well known Chicago loop.
In the beginning, he did most of the procurement, making,
selling and collecting himself; cleaned up the little shop
after the long day was over; and then made his bed for the
night in the rear of the store.
In those days, he obtained bristle from the Chicago Stock
Yards and then buried it for a time in the sand at Lake
Michigan in order to rot off the animal flesh which adhered
to it. Later the bristle was taken to his little factory,
where it was dragged and sorted into various lengths, then
tied into bundles and boiled. The batches were then arranged
according to prepared formulas, and mixed together by hand, a
very slow unsatisfactory process when compared to the job now
done by the modern mixing machines in use today.
By 1854, Mr. Gerts' business had reached a volume of $15,000
per year. At that time he was joined by his first partner,
Mr. Loder, who however remained with him but a short time.
However, the first award ever received by our Company's
Founder was one issued to the firm of GERT'S & LODER by the
Chicago Mechanics Institute in the years 1854. It was issued
in recognition of the fine exhibit and quality for the
products displayed. A similar award was issued by the same
Institute to the firm of GEORGE E. GERTS & COMPANY in 1856, the
name of the firm having been changed in 1855, when Mr. Loder
left the partnership. These awards were so cherished by Mr.
Gerts, that they were among the few possessions saved by the
Company at the time of the Great Chicago Fire. At that time,
the plant was totally destroyed by conflagration.
Our Present Company Name Is Established
In 1860, Mr. Gerts was joined by Henry Lumbard, and the name
of the enterprise was changed to GERTS & LUMBARD. These two
partners were joined in 1866 by John Schmidt, the
grandfather of our present company head. In 1866 the factory
was located at 204 Randolph Street, just east of Wells, still in the
heart of the present loop district of Chicago. The
partnership thus formed became henceforth to be known by our
present name, GERTS, LUMBARD & CO.
We Survive The Great Chicago Fire
Thanks to the help of our suppliers, and the sacrifices of
the partners, the business was reorganized after the Great
FIre, the new home being on Wood Street, just north of
Chicago Avenue.
The plant was again moved in the 1880's to
2100 West Grand Avenue, where we remained until 1949.
A Half Century Of Association
Mr. Lumbard, Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Gerts (left to right) were
all active in the management of the business until well
after the turn of the century. During the intervening years
their sons became active in the business as well. The
three lifelong partners died within a few years of one
another, each reaching into the early eighties before going to the Great Beyond. During their half century of association,
they prided themselves in the quality of the work produced in their
factory. This was made possible thru the loyalty and
craftsmanship of their employees, as well as by their
untiring energy and effort.
While most of the old-time artisans are no longer alive, we
still have in our employ a few men, who can recall the old
days when a brush maker really dressed up in his Sunday best
to come to work. Some wore their tall silk hats when they
strolled into the shop. Their long beards, which were the
fashion in those days, were tucked into their shirts while
working but, unfortunately, said beards did not always stay in
place. Often, when the beards came out from behind the shirt
fronts, they were cut off by a saw or were tangled in the
machinery but, alas, we could not make use of the clippings.
We Are Incorporated
The company was incorporated under the laws of the State of
Illinois in 1891. Two years later, in 1893, the company
received another cherished award made possible by Act of
Congress and awarded by the World Columbian Commission. This
award was issued in recognition of the fine exhibit of solid
back hair brushes, etc., which were set in ebony and solid
ivory; and for the completeness and high quality of the
GERTS, LUMBARD & CO. display of paint, varnish and calcimine
brushes. This award, as well as the two earlier awards hang in the
reception hall in our present plant on Kimball Avenue.
Because of the conditions prevailing during the first world
war, it was not possible to obtain the former high quality
Russian bristles used in making the high quality brushes for
which the company enjoyed an enviable reputation. Rather
than ruin their reputation, the company discontinued the
manufacture of the hair brush and sundry lines, and
thereafter concentrated on the production of their well
developed paint brush business.
We Acquire A Subsidiary
Shortly after the death in 1930 of Mr. E. C. Lumbard, who
was at the time our President and the last surviving son of
Mr. Henry Lumbard, we purchased the entire capital assets of
the Burton Boston Brush Co. of Cambridge, Mass. This company,
now operating under the name, BURTON BRUSH CO., at this time
manufactured and distributed their products throughout the
east coast territory where GERTS, LUMBARD & CO., at the
time, had practically no outlets. Because of the economic
conditions prevailing during the early 30's, it was deemed
advisable to concentrate all manufacturing efforts in our
Chicago plant. Consequently, the manufacturing in Cambridge
was discontinued and transferred to Chicago. The BURTON BRUSH
CO., since that time, has operated as a distribution point
for our products.
Chicago's Centennial Celebration
Chicago celebrated its Centennial in 1933 and again in 1934,
by the long to be remembered Century of Progress Exposition.
Our booth at the exposition attracted much interest
throughout both years. Mr. Walter Gerts, the son of the
founder of the company was in daily attendance at our booth,
where we demonstrated certain processes in the production of paint brushes and explained to those interested, by
means of lighted transparencies some of the other operations
of good brush making.
According to a bulletin issued by the Chicago Chamber of
Commerce in 1939, we were among the 35 oldest Chicago
organizations, and in fact one of the 10 oldest
manufacturers in the City. There could be no such record if
it were not for the honor and integrity of the founders and
the loyalty and craftsmanship of the employees over this long
span of 100 years.
Our company is not large when compared to some of the modern
industrial giants of this day but we are, nevertheless, an
important factor in our field of brush making and
distributing. Our products are distributed and find ready
acceptance throughout the entire United States.
It will be our endeavor in the years to come, to merit your
continued confidence thru service and quality---an axiom
with us since our beginning, back in 1850.
-- under construction / work in progress --
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