How Cleveland helped launch the automobile age
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Automobile manufacturer Alexander Winton, with passengers, demonstrates his first experimental vehicle outside the Winton Motor-Carriage Company in Cleveland in 1896. Photo: PhotoQuest/Getty Images
One of the most significant remnants of Cleveland's early automotive history has been saved from demolition.
Why it matters: Before Detroit became synonymous with cars, Cleveland was a center of America's fledgling auto industry — and the Winton Motor Carriage Co. was one of its pioneers.
Driving the news: Developer John Ellis of Mentor recently acquired the former Winton Motor Carriage Works on Berea Road, NEOtrans reports, pumping the brakes on plans to demolish much of the historic complex.
Flashback: In 1897, Scottish-born bicycle manufacturer Alexander Winton founded the company in Cleveland and became one of America's first successful automakers.
- In 1898, Winton sold what is widely regarded as the country's first standard American-made gasoline-powered automobile.
- The company later built its Berea Road factory as Cleveland emerged as an early hub of the automobile industry.
Fun fact: Winton helped inspire two future automotive giants.
- Northeast Ohio industrialist James Ward Packard was so dissatisfied with a Winton he purchased in 1898, it inspired him to build his own automobile and launch what would become the Packard Motor Car Company.
- In 1901, Henry Ford defeated Winton in a race, a victory that helped attract financial backing for Ford's next automotive venture.
Zoom in: Winton ceased automobile production at the Berea Road complex in 1924.
- Previous owner Weston Inc. sought to demolish about 183,000 square feet for redevelopment.
- Ellis instead bought the 7.3-acre property for $300,000 and plans to reuse its roughly 260,000 square feet of buildings in phases, per NEOtrans.