Antique Kroehler unifold Davenport sofa / couch / bed. Made of quartersawn oak featuring traditinal Mission styling with vinyl upholstery and folding frame for use as a bed or couch. A davenport unifold bed is a folding metal bed frame with a removable mattress. The Kroehler Manufacturing Company patented the Unifold Davenport in 1909, and it became a popular choice for customers. The term “davenport” can also refer to a large sofa that can be converted into a bed. The term originated from the A. Davenport & Company, a furniture brand that produced high-end, upholstered sofas for the elite during the Gilded Age. The word “davenport” has since been largely replaced by “sleeper sofa” or “futon”, but is still used in some parts of the United States. In the 1890s, Peter Edward Kroehler transformed a Napervillefurniture-making business from the Naperville Lounge Company into Kroehler Manufacturing Company, the world’slargest producer of upholstered furniture and one of thetown’s biggest employers. Kroehler moved to Naperville from Minnesota in 1890 toattend North Central College. Soon after graduation, he took ajob at the Naperville Lounge Factory. The companyoperated in small quarters until Kroehler moved the factory alongside the Chicago, Burlington &Quincy Railroad tracks to accommodate his expanding work force in 1887. Innovations in design and marketing fueled the company’s growth. In 1909, Kroehler patentedthe Unifold Davenport, a folding metal bed frame with a removable mattress that soon becamea customer favorite. To publicize its products, the company bought full-color ads in nationalpublications such as the Ladies Home Journal. By 1915, the renamed Kroehler ManufacturingCompany had four plants in Illinois and Ohio and capitol stock of over one million dollars. The newly enlarged company transformed itsproduction methods. Previously, a Kroehlerupholsterer made each piece of furniture fromstart to finish by himself, but eventually, all fourKroehler plants implemented section work, whereemployees did the same job, like turning wire intocoils for springs or upholstering the fabrics on theframes, over and over. However, the workers’greater efficiency could not counteract the effects of the Great Depression in the 1930s, whenthe market for consumer products declined. Kroehler wisely advertised the quality constructionof its furniture to appeal to cost-conscious buyers, and offered incentives to stores to inspirecreative window displays and increase sales. Despite the enticements, consumer demand fornew furniture remained low and underemployed Kroehler plant workers struggled to get by. History Stories are developed by the Naperville Heritage Society Research Library and Archives staff at NaperSettlement. As a bountiful resource for learning about a variety of topics relatedto Naperville, they provide unique insights into the past. The company sought contracts from thegovernment for war work, making furniture and filing cabinets for U. Offices, duffel bagsand artificial limbs for soldiers. After the war, Kroehler experienced the largest workers’ strikein its history, when more than 2,500 workers protested for higher wages. After the death in 1950 of company founder Peter Edward Kroehler, technological changesprompted the development of a new system of production at Kroehler, called the G & L Systemafter the engineers who invented it. Fifteen workers made up a production line, each onemaking a different part for a particular piece of furniture. All of the workers in a production linethen assembled the final product together. By the mid-1950s, Kroehler was delivering 128truckloads of furniture a day to stores. Smaller profit margins during the 1960s and early 1970s undermined the company’sperformance. Operating at a loss, the company closed production at the Naperville plant in1978. In 1985, the two-square-block complexwas placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Commuters riding the Metra trains intoChicago, can still see the Kroehler name on the side of the building, a symbol of a onceprosperous business that provided employment to generations of Naperville residents foralmost 100 years. Fair antique condition, wear and distressing commensurate with age and use, scuffing, fading, no mattress, extremely heavy. 29.5″ x 82″ x 35″h, seat 17″; bed 46.5″ x 72″. The sooner you pay, the sooner you get your item. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. We are sorry for the inconvenience. We do are very best to package and secure all our items so they make safe trips to their new homes. We strive to get your items delivered in the most safe and cost effective manner. Add a map to your own listings.