The owners of The Factory have asked permission to demolish something on the property.
In May Wes Weigel, a lawyer representing The Factory, submitted an application for the “demolition of obsolete infrastructure” to the city of Franklin. There was no more detail in the application; however, the paperwork indicated that removing the water tower would be in the interest of welfare and public safety.
The Factory’s owners could not be reached for comment.
The tower has been a part of The Factory for decades, and has become an icon that connects it to its history with employment and manufacturing in the area.
The Factories that were The Factory
What kind of factory was The Factory, anyway?
More than one.
The Factory was built in 1928 and served as the home of Dortch Stove Works, Magic Chef, and later the Jamison Bedding Company. Recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, The Factory is still producing, home to not just businesses but also events.
It was not always so much fun to come to the factory. 1928 was a bad time to open a business. The Allen Stove Plant, opened in 1928, was auctioned off in 1930 after the stock market crash and The Great Depression started to hit the south.
Building stoves is a hot business. And dangerous, dealing with cutting steel and other metals. But it was a lucrative one, too, so it found a buyer.
It was a great time to buy property, for those who still had money. And Oscar Dortch did. The Maury County magnate-in-the-making built himself a fortune in phosphate in the early 1900s in Mt. Pleasant. He paid $80,000. By March 1933, Dortch Stoveworks was ready to open, hiring 125 local residents. Most started at about 23 cents an hour. By 1934 the staff increased to 300 and the factory pumped out four train cars of stoves every day. By the time of Pearl Harbor, Dortch employed 500 people, and paid them about 35 cents an hour. If that seems like a bad deal, the workers agreed. The company fought strikes in 1938 and in 1951.
Another stove company, Magic Chef from St. Louis, bought Dortch in 1955. Magic Chef kept the factory operating in 1960s.
After Magic Chef, it became Jameson Bedding Company until almost the 1980s.
Developer Calvin Lehew, who had been Al Gore Jr’s babysitter, bought the building in 1996. His vision was to turn the factory, an emblem of the economics of the past, into a shopping mall, an emblem of the economics of the future.
His philosophy is simple and grand.
“The Factory is for artists and creative folks,” he said. “What I want to do is bring out more of the artist in people. I want an environment here that is conducive to creativity. We have about 11 learning centers here. To be able to open a place in The Factory it either has to be creative, unique, artistic, musical or food. We have five restaurants here. Even our offices here fit that theme.”
If it’s coming down for safety reasons why not put a fence around it. It is part of Franklin history. Come on guys leave us a little something.
Leave it there. It’s a landmark. Repair it. It’s like when they removed the Campbell Soup can/ tower in Camden Nj. GONE. My father worked there as a machinist. No one will ever know what you are talking about. History. Sad.
What is it hurting? It is a icon and makes the factory even more special with the history behind it.
Wow. Vague explanation and description about Jamison Bedding! My great grandfather started Jamison bedding and knowing how many of the countless workers that were Franklin natives (and still are living today) I’m sure would of enjoyed a little more recognition.
It was a nice read though..
It’s wrong the idiot’s running this town has destroyed everything else why not.No matter how you voice your opinion they are going to do what want.As far as the roads go don’t even get me started on that.
Well Franklinites, you got what you asked for from the carpetbaggers that have moved in over the last 30 years! Money! That’s the conservative God that has envaded Williamson County! No more small town Tennessee! In the interest if the almighty dollar you ( not all, only the richest ones) have given control to people disconnected from Franklin’s history and charm!
It is no longer the same town I grew up in from 1957 to 1979, along with a multitude of relatives that remain! The LOVE of money is the root of all evil! Shameful!