Art
In 1891, the Brunswick Balke Collender Company hired renowned architects Adler & Sullivan to design a new factory in Chicago. This stone specification drawing guided the construction of a five-story industrial building where thousands of workers manufactured billiard balls and tables—products found in saloons, homes, and social clubs across America.
Art · Full story
You stand on the factory floor in 1891, surrounded by the hiss of machinery and the sharp crack of ivory balls being turned, polished, and tested. Sunlight floods through tall windows designed by the architects, illuminating rows of workers bent over their stations, each one part of a precise choreography that transformed raw materials into finished goods shipped nationwide.
Reflect
What everyday products do you use daily that were once made by hand in factories like this one?