Getting Westinghoused, Part I (Westinghouse, Hamilton)
Back in the 19th century the saying “Getting Westinghoused” became a pejorative term meaning electrocution. It was a cheap smear campaign orchestrated by Thomas Edison and company to spread false ideas about the safety of alternating current. It’s nice to know that drama like this extends to such well educated folk and is not reserved to wage slaves at the water cooler or losers hiding behind the World Wide Web. This drama was finally put to rest when the world’s first hydro electric station was contracted at Niagara Falls using Tesla’s designs who was financed by Westinghouse and true possibility of long distance electrical transmission was solidified. More on that later!
Historical Postcards from Westinghouse
Hamilton had the privilege of being home to not one, but two Westinghouse plants, one being a large facility constructed in the Chedoke Hollow which was an iron foundry first established in 1897 in Hamilton on Sanford Avenue which was the first Westinghouse plant established outside the United States.
Westinghouse propaganda - Kilowatt Town
The Chedoke facility was constructed in 1912 and was known as the west plant. After the First World War they produced light bulbs, and then later expanded into manufacturing radio tubes. The facility was converted during the Second World War to produce guns, ammunition and even anti-radar devices. Following the end of the war the plant started to manufacture home appliances and at its peak in 1955, it was the second largest employer in Hamilton after Stelco with 11,000 workers.
In 1976 Westinghouse sold of its appliance division to a joint venture known as CAMCO which manufactured much of the appliances you probabily have in your homes under the names of GE, Hotpoint, Moffat and McClary until 2004 when they ceased operations due to overcapacity and competition issues when the building finally was left abandoned. Most of the facility was torn down in 2005, which now sits as an empty pile of rubble still today in 2008.
The only buildings left standing on this property are a powerhouse constructed in 1923 (more in Part 2), the old Hamilton Metals/ELCO property and a 1952 office building which was been renovated as a research space for McMaster who purchased the property in 2005. The current owner is somewhat temperamental, but he seems to have vacated the premises and taken his Mercedes with him. Apparently he likes hurting trespassers, badly. Any other secrets about this location? We never did find the secret underground section of the plant where weapons were rumored to have be produced even after the war, but it could have been a part of the plant which was torn down. ELCO only remains standing today as the owner of the property is holding out for a worthwhile bid from McMaster. They don’t seem to be budging, so the ELCO property might be around for a few more years.
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 20th, 2008 at 9:34 am and is filed under Heavy Industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.