Mother and I picked up a chicken pot pie from KFC, then we headed north on Sheridan Drive to go home. When I got to the large building at 24 South Sheridan, I stopped to try to remember what that used to be. Roofers Mart is in it today, but I knew that had to be a recent tenant.
The Missourian came through, as usual. The paper had a full page advertisement announcing the formal opening of the new Cape Supply Company in the November 7, 1951, edition. It described a “modern warehouse” that was built with floor space “considerably more than an acre which is entirely free of posts.” Railroad tracks could accommodate 10 boxcars, with six of them being unloaded at one time. It could hold 100 carloads of product, which would supply dealers within a 125-mile radius. It had enough truck docks to handle 25 vehicles at a time.
In typical newspaper advertising puffery the paper said, “These facilities provide the most efficient means of merchandising and handling of building materials known.”
Dow Chemical came in 1966
Dow Chemical Co. announced in the June 11, 1966, Missourian that it was establishing a manufacturing plant in the former Cape Supply Co. warehouse. The plant, Dow executive Paul Meeske said, would produce insulated building materials for use in the construction of low-temperature spaces.
I don’t know what companies occupied the space between Dow Chemical and Roofers Mart.
I thought Ralph Edwards may have been there at one time, but I couldn’t find any stories to support me. I also vaguely remember a company that made some kind of fishing equipment in Cape that might have been in there. Can anyone confirm my theories or come up with better ones?
Wrong again oh Great One! I worked at Ralph edwards sportswear in early 1970s designing and marketing mens leather outerwear to national catalog houses including Sears, Speigel, etc. Ralph built a large factory and wearhouse on that industrial drive between kingshighway and Arena Park. Christy Seabaugh Montgomery worked there too designing and selling a ladies line.
He never had a presence on Sheridan drive.
PS: you and your dear mom are very brave partaking of KFC in cape. Jackson’s is very good. Since Harris brothers passed away it has never been consistent or worse.
Well, General Sign Company did look at the building in the late to mid 1960’s and did not buy the building. Seems before Dow took it over there was a building company in there making roof trusses or the like…Landgraph or RC Robinson..Check in that direction.
I hate to side with Mr. Brune, but Ralph Edwards was probably not there…of course Ralph Edwards may have been there and Brune just missed it. After all he was DESIGNER of men’s clothing and you we all know how flighty designers are…
Ken, I don’t think Ralph Edwards was ever there. I worked is sales for Ralph from 63 to 66. The operation was always on Broadview. I left and became a partner with Jerry Davis until I packed up my 1966 Black top convertible with black interior and no air and moved to Phoenix in 1968. But until 1968, it was always on Broadview.
Blair Best Box Co. Was in there for a while, until the roof collapsed.
Jackson no longer has KFC. Pizza there now Little Caesars
When I worked for Southeast Lumber in the summers between 1963-1966 when in college, I would be sent on occasion to Cape Supply for building materials. Mr Hardy, was one person in the office that I remembered who would wait on me. I remember him because he was active in Scouting and helped me with a merit badge. I think he lived on N. Main. He was a very nice man.
I got married in 1966 and left Cape but I made several trips for the lumber company before I quit to the newly opened, bigger building on Nash Road. I think it was renamed ABC builders when it moved. It was an impressive building where you could see railroad cars that could be pulled into a building to be unloaded. It was definitely a forklift operation with forklifts zipping around that warehouse.
Dow Chemical placed a warehouse operation in the old building but I lost track of the use of that building after that.