This location was the corporate headquarters and manufacturing headquarters of the General Fireproofing Company.

Founded in 1902 in Youngstown, Ohio, The General Fireproofing Company (GF) initially produced building materials. However, the 1907 financial crisis, which halted construction activities, prompted GF to pivot towards steel office furniture. The company launched its first 4-drawer steel vertical file in 1910 and introduced a fireproof safe two years later. By 1923, GF had ventured into the production of standardized steel desks, culminating in the launch of the 1600 Series in 1925, a line that remained popular until the 1970s. From the 1950s, these desks became the world’s top-selling commercial office desks.

In 1924, ALCOA designed the world’s first all-aluminum office chair, inspiring GF to start manufacturing aluminum chairs in 1929, with the first shipments going out in 1930. Initially mimicking the design of contemporary wooden office chairs, these aluminum chairs even featured woodgrain finishes. The “Goodform” seating line was introduced in August 1932 with Model #2123, followed by ten more models in 1935. The original Comfort Master executive office chair debuted in 1937, receiving a redesign in 1939, the same year GF announced the institutional twin Models #4303 and #4304.

World War II saw GF halting its regular production to manufacture aircraft parts. Post-war, the company quickly transitioned back to furniture production, reaching its pre-war production volume by 1946. In 1948, GF launched the Mode-Maker line of executive office desks in collaboration with designer Raymond Loewy. By the 1970s, many of GF’s furniture lines were phased out, and the company declared bankruptcy in 1989. Since the bankruptcy, the company’s building has been abandoned, standing as a relic for the past 28 years.