Wile, M., and Company Factory Building
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 53.680 W 078° 52.095
17T E 674054 N 4751322
The M. Wile & Company Factory Building in Buffalo is an early example of a "daylight factory."
Waymark Code: WM1279
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 12/22/2006
Views: 10
The M. Wile & Company Factory Building is significant architecturally as an outstanding example of an early 20th century "Daylight Factory." Constructed of reinforced concrete and glazed with metal sash windows, this building type superceded earlier factories that had been built with brick walls and wood floors. It represented a great advance in workplace fireproofind, lighting, and spaciousness.
The building is also significant as representing the development of readymade men's clothing in America. This industry grew from modest beginnings in the 19th century to a national industry by the late 1920s. The M. Wile firm, founded in 1877 in Buffalo by Mayer Wile, was a pioneer of this type of retailing. Continuing today as a subsidiary of a larger company, it is one of the oldest manufacturers of men's clothing in the United States.
Finally, the M. Wile & Company Factory Building is significant for its association with the German-American heritage of Buffalo. At the time of its construction by a prominent member of this community, the M. Wile & Company Factory Building ranked as a landmark of the German section of Buffalo.
The building was built in 1924 and was designed by Esenwein & Johnson. Architecturally, the building is a good example of the Daylight Factory. This type of multi-storied factory building used reinforced concrete in an exposed frame system of construction with the spaces between exterior piers filled almost entirely with steel sash windows. The Daylight Factory answered the need of manufacturers for wide open, naturally lit floor space in fireproof buildings that were inexpensive and quick to erect.
Street address:
77 Goodell St
Buffalo, NY United States
14203
County / Borough / Parish: Erie
Year listed: 2000
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Periods of significance: 1900-1924
Historic function: Industry/Processing/Extraction: Manufacturing Facility
Current function: Office Space
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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