Upjohn Company Headquarters, 1938
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click on link to see photos !
In 1886, the Upjohn Company was established - succeeded by Pharmacia and, subsequently by Pfizer. Along with the state institutions, it has been the pillar of employment in Kalamazoo County. Two historical markers on the Kalamazoo Mall note the importance of the importance of the Upjohn Company and its founder, W. E. Upjohn.
Another historical marker for W. E. Upjohn was placed in Bronson Hospital:
Patrick Norris, Director of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, has written about the early life of W. E. Upjohn in the Museum's publication, Museograpy Volume 3, Issue 2, Winter 2004 - History by the Ounce - Hasting and Young Dr. Upjohn, summarized here: William Erastus Upjohn, the son of Dr. Uriah Upjohn, was born in 1853. Uriah Upjohn, emigrated from England, received his medical degree in New York City, and, together with his brothers, moved to frontier Richland, Michigan in the 1830's. Uriah served as a horseback physician to the pioneers and produced remedies from bulk chemicals and medicinal plants. He married Maria Mills from Richland - see her obituary on the Pioneer Society Obituaries pages. He maintained a life long interest in the practical application of science that he passed on to his children. Four of his children, including William, graduated from the University of Michigan medical school. Uriah purchased a house in Ann Arbor, moving his family there when his oldest son entered college. W. E. worked in a pharmacy while his older brother attended college. After receiving his medical degree in 1875, W. E. joined his uncle William's practice in Hasting. He married and had four children, Winifred Upjohn Light, William Harold Upjohn, Dorothy Upjohn Dalton, and Genevieve Upjohn Gilmore - names to become well known in Kalamazoo. During his 10 year practice in Hasting, W. E. conducted his own research into the making of medicines. He used his ingenuity to solve two problems with existing medicines: "how to deliver medicine that would dissolve in the body and how to insure precise control over the amount and quality of the active ingredients." "Struck, he later wrote, by 'the impulse to produce something better adapted to the use of the country physician,' he invented a new way of making and delivering medicine. Rather than start with a paste, Dr. Upjohn introduced a starter particle into a revolving pan. As the pan revolved, the starter was sprayed with powdered medicine and a fine mist, gradually accumulating into a pill of appropriate dosage. Dr. Upjohn built his new pill layer by layer, like a snowball rolling down a hill. The resulting product was essentially dry to begin with and could not dry out over time. It easily dissolved when ingested. It was also friable; it could be crushed under your thumb." Dr. W. E. Upjohn received a patent for his process in 1885 and founded his pharmaceutical company.
Upjohn expanded its manufacturing facilities to Portage in the 1950's, but maintained research facilities in downtown Kalamazoo. click on links to see photos !
Various views of the Upjohn Company from the 1970's back to the topics heading list click on link to see photos !
Gilmore Bros, dry goods, cloaks, notions, carpets, men’s furnishings
In 1881 John Gilmore, soon joined by his brother
James, opened a dry goods store on Burdick Street. Gilmore Brothers grew
throughout the 19th century, expanding the goods offered for sale and the
facility that housed them. Carrie Gilmore, widow of James, expanded the
store into the building shown in the 1913 photograph shown above.
In 1959 Kalamazoo attempted to
meet the challenge of suburban malls, super stores and discount stores with a
pedestrian mall on Burdick St. naturally with Gilmore's as the anchor retailer
- See the
Kalamazoo Mall page.
At the store's 100th anniversary in 1981, Irving Gilmore said "Gilmore's is Kalamazoo," according to an account in the book 'Kalamazoo: The Place Behind the Products.' "We have been in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo for 100 years and plan to be here for at least another 100. - Kalamazoo Gazette.
"Gilmore's has struggled in recent years, closing its department store in Battle Creek's Lakeview Square Mall in 1994 and Gilmore's locations at Maple Hill Mall and Southland Mall in 1995. The closings left the flagship downtown Kalamazoo department store as the last Gilmore's store. Economics make it impossible to profitably maintain such a large, single-unit, independent department store in a downtown environment... Since its inception Gilmore's maintained a loyal following by offering personalized service, competitive prices on high-quality merchandise and a first-rate sales staff with clerks often greeting regulars by name and treating strangers like regulars.
During demolition a bowling alley was found in the recesses of the old building:
Final sale at Gilmore's building: Wrecker rescues old
bowling alley hidden in department store's interior
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