Just a little Moore Chrome

The Willys-Overland Company was one of the most influential and substantial corporations in Toledo's history. The Willys-Overland Parkway Assembly Plant was originally constructed in 1904 as a bicycle factory, However in 1910 the site was purchased by Willys-Overland who by 1928, had transformed the site into a nearly 7 million square foot facility featuring more than 90 individual buildings.

The Parkway assembly plant would serve as a crucial manufacturing hub in WWII producing military Jeeps, shells and aircraft parts to supply the ongoing war effort. After the end of WWII the Parkway assembly plant would go on to produce civilian jeeps until its eventual demolition in 2002. 

As time went on most of the remnants of the Parkway assembly plant would fade away. Most buildings that had been spared from demolition were now being re-used for miscellaneous industrial things. However frozen in the midst of light industry and empty fields remains a small facility frozen in time, serving as a window into Parkway's past.

Another Cleaver Brooks boiler, Just like the one at DuPont!

This facility was originally constructed in 1928 under the name "The Reuben Company". The Reuben Company was a real-estate company at the time so there was likely a different company operating it until 1932 when the site began operations under the Moore Chrome Plating Company. 

The second floor.

The Moore Chrome Plating Company operated as a contractor for Willys-Overland producing automotive chrome plating until 1997 when the company moved to a newer facility located in Sylvania. 

Looking out the window you can see the former glass-cutting and glazing facility as well as the new Dana plant in the background.

Quite the nice television set.

In 2017 the facility was purchased by the Toledo Port Authority with the intention to "improve the appearance of the industrial park.". Since then there has been no further plans announced for the site as it slowly rots away.

An interesting freight elevator setup.

Due to the Port Authorities watchful eye and somewhat decent job at sealing the place it has been left in excellent condition and is full of older items.

A Deardorff Studio Camera which has since disappeared.

 

The white/grey color scheme of the place felt rather modern for a building of such age. I guess they were an early adopter of the depressing workplace aesthetic. 

Large vats left behind.

Spare parts.

This place had been abandoned for so long that even the hobo cart collection was dated.

I was torn on if I should even make a post about this place, these posts don't get much traction or views online, but then again it only takes one bad person to ruin a spot for everyone. I would hate to see such a well preserved spot ruined by vandals and scrappers. However this is kind of why I write these posts and take these photos in the first place, to be able to preserve a spot forever in the world of 1's and 0's regardless of what happens to it.

Anyways I hope you found this place interesting and learned a little bit of lost history. The weather has been unfavorable for exploration lately but I'm hoping that will change soon and I can get some more content out. 

Mutagen Out!

Sources:

https://www.toledoblade.com/local/2017/11/16/Port-board-buys-empty-building-next-to-industrial-park/stories/20171116149

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084tm.g4084tm_g06911193603/?sp=89&st=image&r=0.76,0.687,0.334,0.217,0

https://www.toledoblade.com/Automotive/2011/08/11/Jeep-Timeline.html

https://www.buzzfile.com/business/Moore-Metal-Finishing-419-843-3510