FKMB Lofts (Cleveland, Ohio)

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FKMB (Federal Knitting Mills Building) Lofts is a 66, one and two bedroom unit apartment complex in the former Federal Knitting Mills factory building. Constructed in 1906, the three story building was designed by architect Gustave B Bodar. An addition
by Christian, Schwarzenberg & Gaede was built in 1915.

The Federal Knitting Mills Company was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1905 by several Jewish businessmen. The company produced knit goods, including sweaters, and also supplied fabric to the garment-making industry. The company's national accounts included Sears, Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, and Marshall Field & Co. At its height, the company employed five hundred people, mainly women, at its 125,000 square foot plant. Following the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1937, several unions attempted to replace the Cooperative Workers Association, the company union for Federal Knitting Mills. An ensuing strike related to this matter seriously strained the company's finances. Federal Knitting Mills dissolved in December 1937.

Shortly thereafter the building was acquired by S Weitz Co. which produced top coats and overcoats.

www.fkmb.com/index.html