The CAMPUS SWEATER CO., once the nation's largest manufacturer of men's casual clothing, began as a sweater jobbing office called the Pontiac Knitting Mills in the Arcade in 1922. Owners Samuel S. Kaufman and Loren B. Weber soon moved the company to 1321 W. 6th St. in the WAREHOUSE DISTRICT. By 1926 the company acquired its best-known name and a new location at 1286 W. 6th. It moved to 234 St. Clair Ave. in the late 1930s.
The company manufactured casual clothes, sportswear, sweaters, and lower priced apparel. The rise of leisure time activities helped spur company growth, and in 1955 the company built a large plant at 3955 Euclid Ave., which was said to be the largest structure built on Euclid in 22 years.
In 1968 the company became a division of Interco., Inc. of St. Louis, but retained some autonomy. Weber and Kaufman retained the titles of chairman and president, respectively, of Campus Sweater. By the early 1970s the company had grown to include 18 plants and 5,000 employees. There was a New York office, 5 plants in PA, and 13 in the South, including a main distribution center in Chester, SC. Campus Sweater was Interco's most profitable unit. Both Kaufman and Weber retired in the mid-1970s. In 1978 the company had outlets or factories in 19 cities and accounts with most of the major department stores in the country.
In 1982 the Cleveland headquarters was closed, its functions absorbed by the New York and Chester locations. The Euclid Ave. building was sold to the county for office use.