Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 25: Calco Chemical Company, 1936

Here’s a snowy scene from the 1930s — it’s the parking lot of the Calco Chemical Company building, located near the Raritan River in Bound Brook, New Jersey. This was shot in February 1936.

Calco Chemical Company, 1936

Calco was founded in 1915 as a manufacturer of “coal-tar intermediates required to make synthetic dyestuffs.” I have no idea what that means, but it sounds nasty. In any case, Calco was acquired by the American Cyanamid Company in 1929 (you can see that designation underneath the main sign). Astute readers will recognize that name from one of my lovely Thanksgiving advertisements.

I don’t know exactly when this facility was closed for good, but according to my research it had been completely demolished by 2002 at the latest.