Circa 1910. It was built in 1907. Smoking chimney but no water tower yet. "The House of York" is painted on the west side.
Circa 1915. A water tower is up! Still branded as "J.W. York & Sons" on the north side. "The House of York" is on the west side.
Check out inside the factory!
Plans of the factory from the 1940's
Courtesy of brasshistory.net
Courtesy of the The Grand Rapids Public Library Archives, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Circa 1928. Special thanks to the GRPL for the only known non-sketched photograph of the active factory off a postcard. Note they took down the north facing sign with "J.W. York & Sons" after the family retired and the water tower is now branded with the new company name. Ivy vines have covered most of the building and there is even a sousaphone hanging in one of the windows!
Circa 1930. Looks like they removed all the ivy and hung the renamed sign on the north side. "The House of York" is gone from the west side.
Circa 1955. Water tower long gone. Comically large "York" letters on the west side. "Band Instrument Co." sign now resides under those letters. The factory expanded on the east and south side it appears, or an artist took some liberties.
Circa 1990. Courtesy of Bill Semeyn. A view of the abandoned factory's east side shipping and receiving dock. All those fine instruments left from that door! Plating was done in those extension houses. "The House of York" is faintly seen above the door from the early days.
Circa 1990. Courtesy of Bill Semeyn. Abandoned factory from the west side. "The House of York" appears to have been painted over.
Circa 2020. The factory is long torn down.
It may be gone, but the memories last.
An original factory pin/ID from the Grand Rapids factory!