Standard Adding Machine Company
The Standard Adding Machine Company Building is a factory structure built in 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri, near Forest Park. The structure is functional and sturdy, designed with straightforward lines suited for manufacturing calculating machines.
William H. Hopkins, a pastor, founded the company in 1897 after successfully patenting his 10-key adding machine in 1892. The machine was displayed at the 1904 World's Fair, where it won a prize and revolutionized office work.
The building takes its name from the company that manufactured and sold adding machines here. It stands in an area with other factory buildings from the same period, reflecting how St. Louis was a center of industry and commerce.
The building is located in St. Louis near Forest Park and is accessible when exploring the city area. Today it houses the Aquinas Institute of Theology, so visitors should check access and visiting times in advance.
The inventor was not an industrialist but a pastor who created the machine to improve office work. Today a theology school uses the historic building, showing how places can reinvent themselves completely.
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