Art
In 1891, the Brunswick Balke Collender Company—America's largest billiards manufacturer—occupied a massive Chicago factory designed by renowned architects Adler & Sullivan. For thousands of workers, this building meant steady wages, skilled craft, and a foothold in industrial America.
Art · Full story
You step into the roar of the factory floor. Woodworkers plane and fit slate tops; metalworkers shape brass pockets and rails. The smell of sawdust and machine oil fills the air. Around you, immigrant laborers and skilled craftsmen move in practiced rhythm—each pool table leaving here will end up in saloons, hotels, and homes across the country.
Reflect
What objects in your home were made in a factory like this? Who built them?