Patterson-Sargent Paint Company
BROWSE ALL IMAGES IN THIS COLLECTION
Benjamin Patterson, Sr., one of the founders of the Burtis, Patterson, Sargent Company in 1890.
Workers load BPS paints into train car at Patterson-Sargent plant on Hamilton Ave., 1946.
Patterson-Sargent plant exterior on Hamilton Ave., 1946.
Forklift and paint in Patterson-Sargent warehouse on Hamilton Ave.
Delivery truck inside Patterson-Sargent plant, 1946.
Worker loading train car with forklift at Patterson-Sargent plant, 1946.
The Burtis, Patterson, Sargent Company was formed in 1890 by former associates of Sherwin-Williams. In 1895, Benjamin Patterson, Sr. bought out his partners and the firm thereafter did business as The Patterson-Sargent Company. Operating under the logo "B.P.S.: Best Paint Sold," the firm manufactured paint, lacquers, stains and vanishes from their building at 1325 East 38th Street, at Hamilton Avenue. BPS was purchased by H.K. Porter Company of Pittsburgh in 1959.
About the Photos
The first set of images found here were bound together in an album discovered in the former Patterson-Sargent plant, now owned by State Chemical Solutions. They date from November 1943 to August 1946 and show expansion of the existing plant and construction of the railroad spur that would eventually run through it. They also show employees at work in the warehouse and loading area.
In 2015, Ruth Fiordalis, granddaughter of Benjamin Patterson, generously lent Cleveland State two albums from the company, which expanded and overlapped somewhat in coverage with the State Chemical collection, and they have been added here.
Credits & Appreciation
This website was the 2012 practicum project of Library and Information Science student, Kylie Carpenter. She thanked the following from the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University: Bill Barrow, Special Collections Librarian; Lynn Bycko, Special Collections Specialist; Joanne Cornelius, Supervisor, Digital Production Unit; Lauren Felder, Web Specialist. In addition, she thanked William A. Barnett, Vice President and General Counsel, State Industrial Products Corp.
More recently, our thanks go also to Ruth Fiordalis for her subsequent permission to digitize the Patterson family albums.
>> Go to Made in Cleveland to explore more about the manufacturing sector in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.
