Western Reserve Historical Society to Honor Kottler Metal Products for 100 Years of Business

Kottler Metal Products, Inc. is being inducted into the "100 Year Club" by the Western Reserve Historical Society.  The 100 Year Club recognizes local businesses that have past the centennial mark and exhibit the qualities of integrity, stewardship, connectivity, and innovation.  Kottler Metal Products is quite proud of our hundred year history, and to say that we have the largest bending capacity in the State of Ohio.  The Western Reserve is recognizing Kottler Metal Products  as part of their efforts to honor the past, the present, and the future of business and entrepreneurship in Cleveland, Ohio.

MORE ABOUT THE WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY:

Founded in May 1867, the Western Reserve Historical Society is Cleveland’s oldest existing cultural institution. It was established as the historical branch of the Cleveland Library Association which dated from 1848. The Society’s creation was part of an important trend in the United States, the establishment of private organizations to oversee the collection and preservation of documents and objects relating to various aspects of national, regional and local history. While its original focus was on the history of “…Cleveland and the Western Reserve, and generally what relates to the history of Ohio and the Great West,” it now concentrates on the history of Northeast Ohio.

Between 1867 and 1898, the Society was located in downtown Cleveland in a building which stood on what is now (2011) the site of the KeyBank headquarters. During this period the Society’s collections grew rapidly as did its means of support as leading citizens, including John D. Rockefeller, collectors, and scholars became associated with its operations. The growth and stature of its collections were such that it obtained a charter from the State of Ohio on March 7, 1892 which made it an independent organization, one on a par with other major cultural and educational institutions that had arisen in the post-Civil War period.

In 1898 the Society moved to the University Circle area, occupying a large new building that was situated at the southeast corner of the intersection of Euclid Avenue and what is now Stokes Boulevard. It remained there until 1938 when it began a move to its current location on East Boulevard with its acquisition of the Hay-McKinney mansion to house its museum. Today, the Cleveland History Center houses the Research Library, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, the Chisholm Halle Costume Wing (home to fashion exhibits), two historic mansions, Kidzibits Family Hands-on Gallery, as well as its administrative offices.