2101 Auburn Avenue, Toledo Ohio....
Like so many industries (such as car and appliances) for example; many used most of these large manufacturing complexes over time, then abondoned them later when times got tough in the late 1960's and 70's.
Like Packard's East Grand Boulevard plant, Studebakers South Bend Indiana plant, or evern Westinghouses Mansfield Ohio facilty amongst others. The companies just used , and used, and used these buildings far beyond their life expectancy, with little or no maintenence, let alone capital outlay for upkeep.. One last instance comes to mind. Ever see the old Willy's Overland plant in Toledo? That place was totally derelict when it was deactivated last year and razed.
Usually because of economies, but just a lack of forsight that these building would need heavy outlay's of cash to keep them updated and current...(Much like Hoover did with it's North Canton Ohio facility). And that is what usually did these large complexes in. MASSIVE amounts of capital outlay just to keep them going.
It's hard to Imagine that the upkeep of "The Hoover", let's say; was at least a month's worth of profit yearly that was costing the Hoover Compaany out of it's bottom line. One cannot just simply shut off the whole enterprise with a flip of the switch when one wants to. In many industries it can cost millions, to billions of dollars just to deactivate a facility like these.
That said, by the time Air Way was done with 2101 Auburn, there was no life left, and highly likely nothing was "left" inside the building. The thought that the buildings may have been purpose built BY Air-Way for it's manufacturing needs, but more possible was that the building(s) were already there before serving a prior industry. Even had Air-Way used that facility until say 1970, they had been there for 50 years by that point. Making lots of things besides vacuum cleaners. I know that Air-Way washers, and radios were produced for instance.
BY the time that the "Air-Way" facility for example was torn down, using the supposed guess estimate of 1970 as the deactivation date, when it was torn down, suppose let's say last year, it sat virtually, if not totally empty, exposed to the elements, and such for another 37 years. And all the older satellite photo's show a roof that was quite damaged , along with decay and despair.
The thought of any moulds left for the Sanitary System, is quite alluring. However, many of these companies did not keep a "vault" or a "Morgue' as Hoover was to call it's product and smaples room affectionately. Many of them care little or not at all about their history. The thought is that, becasue Air-Way was already toying around with the Sanitizor 55 by 1942, my guess is that like many industries, the moulds, and any machinery was donated to a local scrap drive and melted down, creating the bullets and tanks we used to fight our side of the conflict. A sad thought but most historians believe that to be so... No compnay wanted to seem un-patriotic!
When I sent Steven Tomberlin, about 15-20 different Air-Way advertisements during the late half of the 1990's, (1999 serves my mind as the year I did this), he had never even seen some of the earlier machines. They had no information past the Sanitizor 88 Mark II, excpet for a few photographs. At least that is what I was told....
Now the 518 St. Clair, shows a building with some vitality still left inside. And a few remenants that Air-Way or something even vacuum related was ever there as Dave describes. This could have stayed the manufacturing facility, but high wages, militant unions, it's de-linking with the Lamb Motor Company, and it's slow slide downwards in production possibly ended up affecting the reasonings to keeping Air-Way IN Toledo reguardless..
Maybe Tania, or Charlie could fill these cracks in as to why Air-Way even went to Talladega. And ending up dying, a whimper of it;'s former shelf in a Quonset Hut, in the bayou's of Alabama. One thing is for certain, they stayed true to what they knew unitl the very end.
My thought ...longwinded
Sorry for that
Chad
