The W. F. Norman Building in the 1900s
Not a lot has changed from this turn-of-the-century factory in Nevada, Missouri. The W. F. Norman Corporation still operates machines as old as the company itself. Using antique rope drop hammers, the Hi-Art® tin ceilings and products are still sold at W.F. Norman Corporation today.
W.F. Norman
William Franklin Norman, founder of W.F. Norman Corporation, began one
of the most successful businesses in tin ceiling manufacturing. Starting
as a traveling salesman for the Wheeling Corrugating Company out of
Wheeling, West Virginia, Norman excelled in his work. At that time,
Wheeling Corrugating was a large steel mill that also made products from
their steel sheets such as roofing and siding. They became the leading
tin ceiling manufacturer in the late 1800s. But because of his
enterprising nature, Norman decided to open up his own shop and
pioneered steel ceiling manufacturing in the West.
The W. F. Norman Corporation was founded by William Franklin Norman and John Berghauser in 1898. Two sons and a grandson followed in Norman’s footsteps and successfully continued running the business until 1978. It was believed that there were as many as two dozen similar type companies producing and manufacturing these stamped tin ceilings around the late 1800s and early 1900s. Only a few were prosperous enough to stay in business even though tin ceilings were a very popular building material during that time.
Franklin Norman and Bob Quitno
Restoring History
Norman’s tin ceilings were made in Nevada, Missouri until the late 1930s when they went out of style and steel materials were scarce during the ramping up for World War II. In order to stay in business, the company continuously made other sheet metal products unrelated to ceiling and ornamental sheet metal until Bob and Annette Quitno came along in 1978. Bob Quitno purchased the business from W.F. Norman’s grandson, Franklin Norman. Quitno found old dies and machinery in the 50,000 square-foot factory, and in 1979 and 1980, tin ceilings were put back into production. This new production of its original products helped revive the ornamental pressed metal industry and aided in the restoration of historical landmarks.
Today, the Quitno family owns and operates from the same location where William Franklin Norman started his small business in the late 1800s. However, the original building where company factory sits was once a roller skating rink, then a Christian church dating back to 1892. Even though the roof was destroyed in a fire in 1909, and later an east room addition added thousands of square feet, the present-day office and the rest of the factory are still remarkably similar to the way they looked by 1910 after the fire. The original home of William Franklin Norman can be found on South College in Nevada, Missouri which is now owned and operated by Cottey College as the Center for Women’s Leadership.
Vintage catalogs
Below are some of the first catalogs printed for the company. The 1906 ceiling catalog is nearly identical to the present-day catalog, illustrating Greek, Empire, Rococo, Renaissance, Colonial, and modern-style patterns which were made from American Bessemer Steel. The roofing catalogs show the crestings that were newly introduced in 1905 and give an important historical record of what was originally made. Unfortunately, most of what is in that early version of the roofing catalog is no longer offered.
