L. & I. J. White Co. (Exchange St. location)

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Photo credit: toolemera.com, PRS

Location

310 Exchange Street, Buffalo, NY 14204
310-314 Exchange Street. Parcel now known as 355 Chicago Street.
SBL: 111.18-6-1
Ellicott Council District
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Erie County Property Info
County Tax Map (loads GIS page)
City of Buffalo Parcel Viewer

Owner

TIME WARNER CABLE NORTHEAST per City of Buffalo Property Information
NYS Corporation and Business Entity Database

Physical Description

Three story brick industrial complex

Current Condition

Demolished. Now a surface parking lot and one story suburban office building.

History

  • 1837-1928 - The L. & I. J. White Company was a family owned business producing a host of woodworking tools.
  • 1837 - Two brothers, Leonard and Ichabod Jewett White, start a tool making company in Monroe, Michigan the same year their father moved to Buffalo, NY
  • Early 1840s - The brothers sell their company in Monroe and move to Buffalo
  • 1843 - Leonard and Ichabod start an edge tools shop. The same source says it began in Black Rock but also mentioned an address of 22-24 Ohio Street. By 1854, 3 Indiana Street is also mentioned. Indiana Street no longer exists, but this location would be where the Sabres arena is now, as that section of South Park Ave was a continuation of Ohio Street at the time.
  • 1860 - The company receives a patent for improving the design of fastening ice skate blades to their wooden base
  • 1867 - The Ohio/Indiana St factory burned to the ground. This same year, they possibly build the 143 Perry Street location. (The source gives the address from the Perry St location but the name from the Exchange St. location)
  • 1870 - An ad shows a building with their name located on Exchange St. Possibly a storefront or additional manufacturing space.
  • 1928 - The company became a part of the Simonds, Worden, White Co. - Dayton, Ohio.
  • 1940 - "By 1940 the former factory of White Brothers in Buffalo was closed due to the lack of meaningful demand for hand tools."
history courtesy toolemera.com and wkfinetools.com

Recent Events and Actions Taken

Other Pertinent Facts

  • Makers of "a full line of chisels, planes, drawknives and many of the tools specific to a skilled trade... Firmer Chisels, Coopers planes and tools, Carriage makers routers, Axes, Hatchets, Adzes, Plane Irons, Paving Irons, Fireman's Axes, Butchers Cleavers, Ice Tools, and everything else edge tools." toolemera.com

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Added 2017-03-16 • Last changed 2017-03-21