This post is part of a monthly series that explores the historical applications of building materials and systems through resources from the Building Technology Heritage Library (BTHL), an online collection of AEC catalogs, brochures, trade publications, and more. The BTHL is a project of the Association for Preservation Technology, an international building preservation organization. Read more about the archive here.
With millions of employees now working from home, today's offices are increasingly digital, with most information exchanged and stored virtually. Offices of the past, however, were organized to manage massive amounts of printed documents. The earliest 19th century documents in BTHL take us back to the era of the pigeonhole cabinet, which featured small openings where papers were folded and stored. Another popular option was the bureau (the French term for a wooden office cabinet), which has come to mean an entire organization, not just an item of furniture.
Metal office record systems, which dominated the 20th century, reveal a need to protect documents from fire. Metal cabinets were also more dustproof and maximized storage space efficently. In the early 1900s, the modern metal filing cabinet as we know it today made its debut as a library cabinet. The oldest document in the BTHL with this cabinet dates from the 1910s.
While the document storage moved from wooden to metal furniture, office desk and chairs largely remained made of wood, prioritizing comfort and style. A 1929 catalog alleges that its wooden office furniture makes a “distinct impression of dignity and responsibility together with elegance and endurance.”
The BTHL catalogs also feature office partition systems, documenting the evolution of the office as an architectural space. Several documents delve into office planning and layouts for various professions, such as medical offices. One document from the mid-1950s shows various office rooms in “traditional” and “modern” styles. A Sears “business equipment” catalog from 1963—the most recent catalog in this collection—includes furniture but also a wide range of electric equipment such as tape recorders and typewriters, harbingers to the computer.
Although today's office might only need a laptop computer and place to sit, the Building Technology Heritage Library offers a reminder of when offices were fully furnished spaces for business transactions and records.
The Best and Most Complete Line of Metallic Vault and Office Furniture in the World, Office Specialty Mfg. Co., Rochester, N.Y., 1892
With a focus on the managing of business documents, the metal furniture by Office Specialty Co. tells the story of the transition from the wooden pigeonhole cabinet to the modern file cabinet. With its metal construction, a variety of patented document files holders, and a built-in safe, the modern file cabinet offered efficient and “dust-free” storage.
Illustrated Descriptive Catalogue, Second Edition, Board of Prison Industries, State of Illinois, 1908
This furniture catalog from Illinois’ Board of Prison Industries includes a variety of wooden desks, chairs, and cabinets for the office. The roll-top wooden desk, a signature piece of furniture, is illustrated in both open and closed positions. While most of the furniture features stylistic motifs common for the period, the catalog also contains several “mission” style tables, a big change in furniture design.
GF Allsteel Housing of Records: Presenting the Argument for Allsteel Equipment, General Fireproofing Co., Youngtown, Ohio, 1916
The emphasis on fire safety for office records is evident in this manufacturer's name, General Fireproofing Co. With a wide range of specialty cabinets and office furniture, the Allsteel brand of office equipment could meet the needs of record storage from the smallest to the largest companies. The fireproof metal container was available in an olive green finish and two simulated woods: oak and mahogany.
The Banking House in Art Metal, Art Metal Construction Co., Jamestown, N.Y., 1922
Bank furnishings were the specialty products of Art Metal Construction Co., which claimed that its products could be found in “one bank in four” across America. The company offered a bronze metal grill to protect bank tellers, billing it as a material of permanence that provided an impression of “solidity, sturdiness, and stability.”
Furnishing the Modern Business & Financial Institution, Stow and Davis Furniture Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., 1929
This company offered wooden office furniture in various styles. This variety was promoted as the best method of creating a “distinct impression of dignity and responsibility together with elegance and endurance.”
Security Steel Office Furniture: Filing Cabinets, Storage Cabinets, Safes, Bookcases, Transfer Cases, Wastebaskets, Trays, Steel Equipment Corp., Avenel, N.J., 1930
The ubiquitous filing cabinet is featured prominently in this office furniture catalog. The company's filing cabinets were offered in various heights, with the five-drawer cabinet touted for its efficiency and counter-top heights offered for sorting convenience. The filing cabinet with pullout drawers made its debut around 1900 as a library storage cabinet.
Masterwalls Movable Partitions by Hauserman, E.F. Hauserman, Cleveland, Ohio, 1938
This extensive catalog has “descriptions, illustrations, and engineering data covering the complete line of Masterwalls,” a system of wall partitions. This catalog included many details and was a companion piece to an Office Planning Book With Many Suggestions for Layouts.
The Sikes Book of Office Furniture, Catalog No. 20, Sikes Co., Buffalo, N.Y., 1939
This is primarily a catalog of chairs, including an extensive section of upholstered furniture and a rather unusual section of upholstered Chippendale chairs.
Your Professional Office, Hamilton Manufacturing Co., Two Rivers, Wis., 1956
The Hamilton Manufacturing Co. claimed to be the “largest manufacturer of professional furniture in the world.” This particular publication was aimed at medical offices. This non-traditional catalog has recommendations for office planning and features illustrations of various office types in “traditional” and “modern” styles.
Guide to Planning the Physician’s Offices, John W. Cronin, M.D., Chicago, 1960
This technical publication is a planning guide to 13 different medical office types from dermatology to pediatrics with an emphasis on “facilities for diagnostic examinations.”
Sears Business Equipment and Supply Catalog, Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago, 1963
The catalog is a guide to everything needed for the office from furniture to equipment. Desks, chairs, and filing systems take up the first half of the catalog, but the second half shows the increasing importance of electronic equipment. Tape recorders, public address systems, duplicators, adding machines, and typewriters are all parts of what was then the new office.
