Label
The Clerk Reports
Title
Declaring the intent to designate the building located at 4500 N. Detroit Avenue, Toledo, Ohio a historic landmark; and declaring an emergency.
Summary
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
The Dura Company, originally known as The Dura Mechanical Hardware Company, was founded as a subsidiary of Milburn Wagon Works in Toledo, Ohio, around 1910-1913. As Milburn expanded into the new automotive age, Dura focused on specialized mechanical hardware for vehicles, especially window regulators that allowed drivers to raise and lower car windows with ease.
By 1914, Dura had patented a window-lift mechanism that was featured in Milburn’s electric automobiles and soon adopted by leading manufacturers such as Ford, Dodge, Willys-Overland, Packard, Studebaker, Nash, Hudson, Jordan, Moon, and Hupmobile.
Under Horace Suydam, Vice President from 1911, Dura grew into a supplier known for reliability and innovation. The 1919 Automobile Trade Journal described Dura’s “window regulator” as a key accessory of the modern automobile. By 1923, the firm had been granted at least ten patents related to window regulators, locks, and lift mechanisms, early examples of what would become a portfolio of more than 300 patents between the 1920s and 1960s, registered not only in the United States but also in Canada, Great Britain, France, and Germany.
By the mid-1920s, Dura operated four Toledo manufacturing facilities. In 1928, the company consolidated operations into a new 137,256-square-foot facility at 4500 North Detroit Avenue, employing over 1,200 workers making window lifters and metal hardware. The site, covering 18 acres, was later listed as 262,302 square feet and would remain Dura’s main plant for over fifty years.
A Toledo Blade report from June 4, 1927, noted Dura’s rapid industrial growth as part of the city’s expanding manufacturing base, which then included over 700 factories and more than 120,000 workers.
In the mid-1920s, Dura diversified its product lines, producing Art Deco lighting, clocks, and home accessories in chrome and Bakelite. These pieces became collectible icons of industrial design.
The company’s Art Director, Helen Dryden, a celebrated Vogue illustrator, introduced an artistic sensibility to Dura’s products, merging craftsmanship with modern style. Dryden left in 1929, later designing the 1936 Studebaker President automobile.
George L. Graff, who joined Dura in 1929, became one of its most recognized designers. He created Art Deco clocks, as well as patented designs for a latching refrigerator door handle and electric candle light fixtures. Graff’s earlier independent work included designing the Kentucky Derby Trophy (1924).
Dura formally changed its name to “The Dura Company” in April 1932. That same year’s Toledo Blade coverage reflected the firm’s stability despite the Great Depression. A later article from April 2, 1934, documented the company’s adaptation to New Deal-era labor standards and its continued manufacturing presence in Toledo.
In 1935, Dura patented the “Lazy Susan” rotary bearing device known as the Tray Assembly, extending its innovation beyond automobiles.
In 1936, Dura was purchased by the Detroit Harvester Company, becoming a division within that firm. During World War II, Dura converted portions of its production to wartime manufacturing, reportedly producing bomb cones and other ordnance components.
A Toledo Blade article from August 1, 1946, described the resumption of postwar manufacturing and a renewed focus on consumer automotive products.
Dura remained a vital employer in postwar Toledo. A July 31, 1959, Toledo Blade article recorded strong union membership at the Detroit Harvester-Dura Division, which by 1957 employed 825 workers under UAW representation. The company continued to file patents for mechanical and electrical innovations, including vehicle lamps, dome lights, and handle assemblies.
In 1959, the Detroit Harvester Company restored the name Dura to the division. The following decade brought expansion and modernization: in 1966, a 45,000-square-foot plant addition and a new office complex were constructed when Dura was acquired by Walter Kidde & Co. A Toledo Blade article dated December 2, 1968, detailed this growth period and noted Dura’s plans for diversified automotive component production. By 1973, the company employed 650 workers, producing window assemblies, hinges, and convertible-top mechanisms.
The Toledo plant closed in 1980 as Dura exited its auto-stamping business, a decision reported locally as a major industrial loss for the city. Nevertheless, the company continued under new ownership.
A February 23, 1982, newspaper reference notes that Dura was still maintaining a smaller Toledo workforce at the time, supporting its national operations. In 1987, Dura opened a plant in Mexico, and in 1988, negotiated new labor contracts with concessions. Wicks Manufacturing Company owned the firm during this period.
On November 30, 1990, Dura was sold to Hidden Creek Industries, but labor negotiations failed, and the Toledo operations were phased out the following year. A Toledo Blade article from May 3, 1991, reported that machinery, dies, and presses were redistributed to Dura’s other plants in Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Although Dura’s Toledo factory closed, its products and engineering legacy continued through successor companies. Under Magna International’s CTS subsidiary, Dura Convertible Systems continued producing convertible tops for vehicles such as the Corvette, Mustang, and Viper. By 2007, however, all remaining U.S. plants had closed, and production fully relocated to Mexico.
For nearly a century, Dura’s story intertwined with the growth of Toledo’s industrial landscape and the evolution of American automotive design. The company’s 200+ international patents spanned window regulators, hinges, suspension systems, lighting fixtures, and decorative metalwork.
Dura’s designs embodied both functionality and artistry-from the mechanical window regulator to Art Deco home accessories-and its legacy was shaped by creative talents such as Helen Dryden and George L. Graff. The factory at 4500 North Detroit Avenue remains a physical reminder of Dura’s role in shaping both the automotive industry and the industrial heritage of Toledo.
NOW THEREFORE, Be it resolved that:
SECTION 1. That this matter be referred to the Toledo City Plan Commission and the Toledo City Historic District for its review, recommendation and appropriate hearing date.
SECTION 2. That this Resolution hereby is declared to be an emergency measure and shall be in force and effect from and after its adoption. The reason for the emergency lies in the fact that same is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and property, and for the further reason that this Resolution must be immediately effective so that the historic property will be eligible for the federal and/or state historic tax credit as soon as feasibility possible.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas _____, nays _____.
Adopted _________________, as an emergency measure: yeas _____, nays _____.
Attest: ________________________ __________________________________
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: _____________________ __________________________________
Mayor
I hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of an Ordinance passed by Council ________________________.
Attest: ________________________
Clerk of Council