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Chris Ritter from the AACA Library asked me if I know anything about Pierce bicycle manufacturing.
There was a 75,000 square foot, 5 story, building on Hanover Street in Buffalo where bikes were built.
Does anyone have any factory photos, inside and out? I would think bikes were made one at a time, a man takes a frame and builds a bike, correct? Any other information out there?
Thanks! dc
There are lots of photos on line. You need to hook up with a Pierce bicycle expert. That have quite large collections of photos and catalogs, but they like to trade………..ðŸ‘
I know there are catalogs, but what about pictures of Pierce employees assembling bikes in the factory, turn of the century?
I have seen photos of cycle displays at state fairs and other assorted public events. I haven’t seen any factory photos marked as being from the Pierce Cycle factory.
David, perhaps a call to Paul Jacobs in Buffalo would be in order. He’s the PAS bike experts.
Also there is a Bicycle Museum in Ohio in the Lima area. They might have something for you.
The cars and the bicycles were both made at the Hanover Street factory until 1906, when the new car factory was opened on Elmwood Avenue. Then, the car and cycles businesses were separated and only bicycles and motor cycles were made on Hanover Street. There remained some affiliation between the two companies, so you may find some Hanover Street factory photos listed under Pierce-Arrow. The Pierce-Arrow Collection at the University of Michigan has many early George N. Pierce Co. images – but I have never looked for Hanover Street factory photos and cannot say for sure. The Hanover Street site later became a Coast Guard Station; there may be some government photos of the building, too.
Geoffrey Stein, the New York State Museum senior historian, wrote a detailed history of the Pierce bicycle and cycle business for the Arrow, 10-12 years ago. It should also help with sources.
Here is the Amazon link mentioned by Brooks.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Industry-York-State-Manufacturers/dp/1555571700
Thanks guys! Will follow up on some of the sources…
Not sure if this is true but I heard that Pierce outsourced some bike to Emblem e were a large manufacturer of bikes in Angola NY. That is about 30 miles west of Buffalo. They are closed but the large building is still standing.
There was a fire at the bicycle factory in 1906 that shut down production for a time.
The best we can do is unearth old photos. The factory site itself is empty, although the cobblestone streets of the neighborhood have been restored. This is now an area devoted to recreation, a far cry from what it was a century ago.