Updated 26-III-2016

Fort Wayne

Introduction
The Fort Wayne lamp works of the Edison Lamp Works of General Electric was opened in September 1906. It operated as a satellite of the company's principal site at Harisson, NJ. Its initial location was on Montgomery Street (now East Douglas Avenue), and was founded in the Kaztenberg Bakery. During the winter of 1907 and 1908 a much larger factory was constructed on Holman Street (now East Brackenridge Street), this being notable as the first reinforced concrete structure in the city. The plant is of great historical significance, because shortly before Dr. William Coolidge completed his development of ductile tungsten wire, it was announced that Fort Wayne would be the factory to house the production of the new drawn tungsten lamps. In 1914 the plant was downsized due to the introduction of new lampmaking machinery, which reduced the necessary floorspace, and the top floor was leased out. Further imporvements in production mechanisation across the entire GE business meant that fewer factories were required, and on the 12th September 1924, the Fort Wayne facility was closed.


General Electric Fort Wayne Lamp Works, approx. 1911

Address Montgomery St (East Douglas Av.), Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. Holman St (East Brackenridge St.), Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A.
Location Unknown Unknown
Opened September 1906 1908
Closed 1908 12th September 1924
Products Carbon Filament lamps Carbon Filament lamps, Drawn Wire Tungsten lamps


Photographs
Holman Street Works, undated (5) Holman Street Works, 1909 (6) Holman Street Works, 1909 Holman Street Works, 1911
Holman Street Works, 1911 Workers on Clinton&Lewis St. 1913 (7)


References
1 The Fort Wayne Electric Light Company, The Incandescent Electric Lamp 1880-1925, E.J. Covington, NELA Press, 1998 pp.12-15.
2 GE Incandescent Lamp Manufacture in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Early Incandescent Lamps website, E.J. Covington.
3 Fort Wayne Electric Works, Vintage Machinery.org Website.
4 Indutrial News, The Fort Wayne News, 6th March 1916 p9.
5 Allen County Public Library Image Collection.
6 Allen County in Vintage Postcards, John Martin Smith, Arcadia Publishing, 2001.
7 Allen County Public Library Image Collection.