| Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company | |
| Location: | 1700-1701 Packard Avenue Racine, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates: | 42.7109°N -87.8009°W |
| Architect: | David R. Davis |
| Architecture: | Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements |
| Added: | May 7, 2019 |
| Refnum: | 100003915 |
The Gold Medal building is a historic factory complex in Racine, Wisconsin. The three-story brick-walled mill-type was built between 1894 and 1924. The Wisconsin Historical Society describes the complex as "one of the best remaining examples of a mill-type factory building" in the state.[1]
The Racine Camp Furniture & Novelty Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1890, to manufacture furniture for camping such as tents, folding chairs, and sleeping bags. Supposedly, after the company's furniture won a gold medal at the 1893 World's Fair exhibition in Chicago, the name was changed to the Gold Medal Camp Furniture Company.[2] However, no gold medals were actually awarded at the fair,[3] and there is evidence of the company using the Gold Medal name earlier.[4] The company made the standard cots for the United States military and National Guard,[5] and also created the modern director's chair after its No. 35 folding chairs became popular in Hollywood.[6]
In 1979, Gold Medal established a second manufacturing plant in Baxter, Tennessee. In 1986, the company decided to consolidate its operations in the face of increased competition from overseas, and closed the Racine plant.[2] In 2019, the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places at the request of its owner, development firm J. Jeffers & Co., which is currently in the process of converting the historic buildings into an apartment building called Gold Medal Lofts.[7]