An object one can certainly count on being there for every step of every journey life throws at one’s feet, is a reliable pair of shoes. This was the very goal of the Commonwealth Shoe and Leather Company, to make shoes sure to last.
Formed in 1885 through the merger of Charles H. Jones & Co. and Bay State Shoe & Leather Co., the company built its complex at 7 Marble St. in Whitman, Massachusetts. Known for its unwavering quality and undeniable comfort, the Commonwealth Shoe and Leather Company prided itself on the sale of the Bostonian Shoe. A leather dress shoe with a sole strong enough to follow its wearer on whichever soul journey they found themselves to be on, the design holds timeless stitching and a high-class look.
Just as eye-catching as the bold Bostonian shoe, the Company’s warehouse facilities were further expanded upon in the 1940s as an old church was transformed into more factory space for the ever-growing business. The newly obtained outline arched windows were not the only feature of the warehouse, as the building included two 85-foot towers that look out across the 250,000-square-foot compound, with two sky-walks and around 1,800 windows.
In the height of business, Commonwealth Shoe and Leather Company hired just under 600 local employees. However, business does not boom forever, and in 1968 another merger took place, this time between Commonwealth Shoe and Leather and Kayser-Roth, who later sold the business to British shoemaker Clarks in 1979.
The transferring of ownership did not end there as John Campbell took over in 2001. Shoes were tossed out for printing for Harry B. Harding and Son, and the rest of the space was taken by other businesses, including a museum where artifacts from Whitman’s industrial past were displayed. In 2009, the buildings were handed over to a real estate firm, marking the end of the buildings lost identity.
Today, Clarks still sells shoes under the Bostonian Brand, and the once booming factory teems with a different kind of soul. Owned by a real estate firm, and managed by The Heritage Companies, the building is now home to 126 loft-style apartments.
The firm chose to honor the historic architecture as the apartments remain on the National Register of historic places and offers a peek into Whitman’s past.
Written by: Caitlin Shea, Fairfield University BuzzAround Intern
Sources: mhc-macris.net & wikipedia
