Category: Business and Industry

KIEFER'S RESTAURANT began as a beer and bratwurst stand operated by William W. and Anna Kiefer at the GREAT LAKES EXPOSITION OF 1936. The popularity of the stand led the Kiefers to establish the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) restaurant at 2519 Detroit Ave. the following year, which specialized in German food.

The KING IRON BRIDGE & MANUFACTURING CO., the largest highway bridge works in the U.S. during the 1880s, played an important role in the nationwide development and construction of the metal truss bridge, a unique product of American engineering and construction technology. Although the King Iron Bridge & Mfg. Co.

KING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS has been responsible for redesigning and improving the tonal and playing quality of more than 28 instruments, including the slide trombone, cornet, trumpet, and clarinet. It also invented the Trombonium, the valve trombone used widely by high school marching bands.

The KINNEY & LEVAN CO. was a leader in the wholesale and retail sale of crockery, glassware, and other home furnishings, specializing in imports. Its predecessor, the Geo. W. Kinney & Co., began in 1879 when Geo. W. Kinney opened a wholesale lamp goods and glassware business in the Atwater Bldg. at Water (W. 9th St.) and Superior Ave. In 1883 Kinney and a young salesman, Aaron B.

KNOBLE FLORISTS, a leader in the floral community, was founded in 1906 by Herman P. Knoble near its present location at 1836 W. 25th St. Knoble was among the founders and charter members of the Floral Telegraph Delivery System (FTD), begun in 1912, and in 1924 he founded the clearinghouse division of that organization, which centralized billing of FTD purchases.

KNOX & ELLIOT was an architectural firm active in Cleveland from 1893-1925. Wilm Knox (1858-1915) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to America in 1886. In the office of Burnham & Root in Chicago, he met John H. Elliot (ca. 1862-ca. 1925), a native of Toronto. They formed a partnership in 1888 and opened an office in Toronto, where they executed several large and important commissions.

KORNER & WOOD was one of Cleveland's notable bookstores. An institution in downtown Cleveland, it served as a gathering point for local writers and artists. The store was founded in 1900 at 157 Euclid Ave., near PUBLIC SQUARE, by Harry V. Korner (2 Jan. 1875-20 Oct. 1958) and A. Vinson.

KOTECKI MEMORIALS was founded in 1896 by Polish immigrant Jozef Kotecki. Trained in Europe as a stonecutter and a blacksmith, Kotecki began selling grave monuments in Cleveland when he was 20 years old. Originally, his business operated from a horse-drawn cart. Kotecki would carve monuments at his home during the night, and then sell them from the cart during the day.

The KRONHEIM FURNITURE CO. is one of Greater Cleveland's leading furniture stores. Founder Jacob Kronheim came to Cleveland in 1902 from Austria-Hungary and worked as an upholsterer until 1918, when he opened his own shop at Woodland Ave. and E. 37th St.

The KURTZ FURNITURE CO. grew to become one of the largest furniture chains in Cleveland. Founded by Isadore and Rose Kurtz, the store opened at 4319 Lorain Ave. in 1905 and always remained a family-owned and operated enterprise. By 1914 Kurtz had moved to larger quarters at 4329 Lorain and in 5 years had bought up the entire block, converting it into one of the largest stores in the area.

The LAKE ERIE BUILDING in LAKEWOOD was built in the early

The LAKE SHORE ELECTRIC RAILWAY CO. was a major interurban electric trolley operated between Cleveland, Lorain, Sandusky, Norwalk, Fremont, Toledo, and Detroit. Given a charter on 24 Sept. 1901 (sometimes given as 25 Sept.) the interurban was created by consolidating 4 railways on 12 Oct. 1901. Two Cleveland magnates, EDWARD W.

LAMPL, JACK W. JR. (20 Mar. 1921 - 8 Mar. 1999) was a philanthropist and financier who headed Sunamerica Corp. Lampl was born in Cleveland to Nell M. (Engle) and Jack W. Lampl, Sr., who directed the Sun Finance and Loan Company. Lampl graduated from Shaker Heights High School and received a degree in fine arts from Harvard University in 1942. That same year he joined his father's Sun Finance and Loan Co.

LAMSON AND SESSIONS CO., one of the nation's leading fastener manufacturers for over a century, was, in 2004, the leading domestic producer of thermoplastic electrical conduit, wiring devices, and related products. The company dates back to Oct. 1866 when brothers Thos. H. and Isaac P. Lamson joined with Samuel W. Sessions to form a partnership to run the Mt. Carmel Bolt Co., a small maker of carriage bolts in Connecticut.

LANG, FISHER & STASHOWER grew to become one of the region's leading consumer-oriented advertising agencies in the 55 years prior to its consolidation into the present LIGGETT-STASHOWER, INC.  H. JACK LANG founded the firm in the Swetland Bldg. (later known as the 1010 Euclid Bldg.) in 1932.

The LAUB BAKING CO., organized by German immigrant Jacob Laub, grew to become the largest independent wholesale bakery in Ohio before closing in 1974. Born in Germany in 1861, Laub came to the U.S. in 1878 and worked as a baker's apprentice. In 1889 he established his own business, baking rye bread, rolls, and coffee cake in his home at 1981 (later 4832) Lorain Ave. A loan from Samuel H.

LAUKHUFF'S BOOKSTORE was a leading source in Cleveland of books and other material relating to current movements in LITERATURE and the arts during the 1920s-1940s. Richard Laukhuff, a German immigrant, opened his bookstore in 1916 at 40 Taylor Arcade.

LAWSON’S DAIRY STORES. In 1954 there were 25 Lawson Dairy stores with their trademark white milk can against a blue background in the Cleveland area. The stores were replaced by Dairy Mart stores in the 1980s and in 2000, the stores were rebranded Circle-K.  

The LEAR SIEGLER, INC., POWER EQUIPMENT DIVISION, a major designer and manufacturer of electromechanical equipment for aerospace, missile, and ordnance applications, was established in 1962 when Lear, Inc., merged with the Siegler Corp., the parent company of Jack & Heintz, at 17600 Broadway in MAPLE HTS. Jack & Heintz, Inc. had been cofounded by machinist Wm. S.

The LEECE-NEVILLE CO., an important developer and manufacturer of electrical products for heavy-duty trucking (see AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY), was organized in 1909 by Cleveland inventor Bennett M. Leece and financier Sylvester M. Neville. Incorporated in 1910 with capital of $61,000, Leece-Neville opened at 2069 E. 4th St., moving to 5363 Hamilton Ave. by 1915.

The LEES-BRADNER CO. (1906-67) was organized in 1906 as a partnership between Ernest J. Lees (1870-1937) and Hosea Townsend Bradner (1872-1963) of Cleveland and incorporated in 1909. Lees, a cofounder of the Grant-Lees Machine Co. of Cleveland, held basic patents in gear hobbing (cutting) machines.

LEHMAN AND SCHMITT was a Cleveland architectural firm that designed many important public and institutional buildings between 1884-1935. ISRAEL J. LEHMAN (1859-1914) and Theodore Schmitt (1860-1935) formed a partnership in 1884. The first 2 buildings of which there is a record were large covered public halls, the Sheriff St. Market (1891) on E. 4th St.