Art
This 1891 roof plan shows the factory where Brunswick billiard tables were manufactured. Thousands of workers climbed these stairs daily, crafting leisure goods that filled American homes and saloons. The building itself was a machine for making things—and for making a living.
Art · Full story
You stand on the factory floor at dawn, the smell of fresh-cut wood and varnish filling your lungs. Above you, the roof plan blueprinted here maps out ventilation shafts, skylights, and support beams—infrastructure designed to keep you and hundreds of others productive through ten-hour shifts. Sunlight pours through those skylights, illuminating the hands shaping mahogany and felt.
Reflect
What does the design of a workplace say about how workers were valued—or used?