Antique Kroehler Mission Quartersawn Oak Sofa Bed Couch Unifold Davenport

Description: WHAT YOU ARE BUYING/BIDDING ON #43124 Antique Kroehler unifold Davenport sofa / couch / bed. Made of quartersawn oak featuring traditinal Mission styling with vinyl upholstery and folding frame for use as a bed or couch. Made in Chicago. A davenport unifold bed is a folding metal bed frame with a removable mattress. The Kroehler Manufacturing Company patented the Unifold Davenport in 1909, and it became a popular choice for customers. The term "davenport" can also refer to a large sofa that can be converted into a bed. The term originated from the A.H. Davenport & Company, a furniture brand that produced high-end, upholstered sofas for the elite during the Gilded Age. The word "davenport" has since been largely replaced by "sleeper sofa" or "futon", but is still used in some parts of the United States. In the 1890s, Peter Edward Kroehler transformed a Napervillefurniture-making business from the Naperville Lounge Company into Kroehler Manufacturing Company, the world’slargest producer of upholstered furniture and one of thetown’s biggest employers.Kroehler moved to Naperville from Minnesota in 1890 toattend North Central College. Soon after graduation, he took ajob at the Naperville Lounge Factory. He immersed himself inall aspects of the furniture business including buying rawmaterials, writing up orders and catalogs, and shipping products to customers. The companyoperated in small quarters until Kroehler moved the factory alongside the Chicago, Burlington &Quincy Railroad tracks to accommodate his expanding work force in 1887.Innovations in design and marketing fueled the company’s growth. In 1909, Kroehler patentedthe Unifold Davenport, a folding metal bed frame with a removable mattress that soon becamea customer favorite. To publicize its products, the company bought full-color ads in nationalpublications such as the Ladies Home Journal. By 1915, the renamed Kroehler ManufacturingCompany had four plants in Illinois and Ohio and capitol stock of over one million dollars.The newly enlarged company transformed itsproduction methods. Previously, a Kroehlerupholsterer made each piece of furniture fromstart to finish by himself, but eventually, all fourKroehler plants implemented section work, whereemployees did the same job, like turning wire intocoils for springs or upholstering the fabrics on theframes, over and over. However, the workers’greater efficiency could not counteract the effects of the Great Depression in the 1930s, whenthe market for consumer products declined. Kroehler wisely advertised the quality constructionof its furniture to appeal to cost-conscious buyers, and offered incentives to stores to inspirecreative window displays and increase sales. Despite the enticements, consumer demand fornew furniture remained low and underemployed Kroehler plant workers struggled to get by.History Stories are developed by the Naperville Heritage Society Research Library and Archives staff at NaperSettlement. As a bountiful resource for learning about a variety of topics relatedto Naperville, they provide unique insights into the past. For more information,please call the Curatorial Department at 630.305.3535.© 2012 Naperville Heritage Society and Naper SettlementDuring WWII, rationing and restrictions on raw materials such as the wire and lumber neededto produce furniture affected operations at Kroehler. The company sought contracts from thegovernment for war work, making furniture and filing cabinets for U.S.O. offices, duffel bagsand artificial limbs for soldiers. After the war, Kroehler experienced the largest workers’ strikein its history, when more than 2,500 workers protested for higher wages. The strike lasted fromAugust 1946 to January 1947 and cost the company over $1 million.After the death in 1950 of company founder Peter Edward Kroehler, technological changesprompted the development of a new system of production at Kroehler, called the G & L Systemafter the engineers who invented it. Fifteen workers made up a production line, each onemaking a different part for a particular piece of furniture. All of the workers in a production linethen assembled the final product together. By the mid-1950s, Kroehler was delivering 128truckloads of furniture a day to stores.Smaller profit margins during the 1960s and early 1970s undermined the company’sperformance. Operating at a loss, the company closed production at the Naperville plant in1978. After losing millions of dollars, the Kroehler family sold the business to a Chicagoinvestment firm that disposed of the furniture plants and sold off rights to the Kroehler name.In the 1980s, the vacant Kroehler Manufacturing Plant was converted into Fifth Avenue Station,a mixed use complex of 127 apartments, 80,000 feet of retail space and a five-story atriumoffice consisting of approximately 50,000 square feet. In 1985, the two-square-block complexwas placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Commuters riding the Metra trains intoChicago, can still see the Kroehler name on the side of the building, a symbol of a onceprosperous business that provided employment to generations of Naperville residents foralmost 100 years. CONDITION Fair antique condition, wear and distressing commensurate with age and use, scuffing, fading, no mattress, extremely heavy. DIMENSIONS 29.5" x 82" x 35"h, seat 17"; bed 46.5" x 72" PAYMENT The sooner you pay, the sooner you get your item. The Designers Consignment insists on receiving payment within 3 days of your winning bid or Purchase, otherwise we reserve the right to make a second chance offer to the second place bidder or re-list the item. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. SHIPPING & HANDLING We are currently unable to ship to international US locations. This includes Guam, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.We are sorry for the inconvenience. We will ship any item anywhere. We do are very best to package and secure all our items so they make safe trips to their new homes. Most of our items ship out same day, excluding items with odd/abnormal dimensions and freight items. We include insurance and tracking on all of our items and also offer a 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE to ensure satisfaction. We also will combine shipping, provide storageand local pickup. If for any reason the cost of our calculated shipping is above or below current rates we will contact you and make adjustments and/or issue necessary refunds. We strive to get your items delivered in the most safe and cost effective manner. Our shipping methods include, USPS, UPS, FedEx, Greyhound, Private Transport, Brinks and various LTL carriers for when crate shipping is necessary. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. Add a map to your own listings. FREE Trial!

Price: 1880 USD

Location: Dayton, Ohio

End Time: 2025-01-12T13:55:55.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD