Simmons building In 1906 the massive tower of the Keen Kutter building rose above Wichita's booming industrial center. Today, as the Hotel at Old Town, this impressive building has been completely renovated and restored, and it remains the focal point of the city's thriving and picturesque red brick warehouse district. Laura Ingall's visit to Keen Kutter "We went to the Manufacturers' Building... and saw the "Keen Kutter" exhibit. In the center of the space, which was nearly two hundred feet square... Everything about the exhibit was worked by electricity. Above... is an arch made of glistening spoons of different sizes. At the upper right-hand corner was a gigantic pocket knife with four blades that kept opening and shutting and at the upper left-hand corner was a row of seven blacksmiths standing each at his anvil with a different tool in his hand. At stated times first one and then another would beat the tool on the anvil with his hammer... At the center top were two windmills made of ax blades continually turning. It was very interesting." SEPTEMBER 29, 1915 An E. C. Simmons Hardware Company Logo Trade Mark.  E.C. Simmons operated in St. Louis MO between 1868-1940 with distribution points in at least 8 major U.S. Cities. 1939 Keen Kutter Catalog cover Pocketknives: Keen Kutter was the Simmons premium brand, used mainly on American-made knives.  Lower priced knives, most made in Germany were tang stamped Simmons or Simmons Hardware Co. Some of the latter have a picture of a hornet stamped on the reverse tang Simmons Hardware had begun as a regional hardware wholesaler in Saint Louis after the Civil War, much like hundreds of other similar firms all over the United States.  Unlike most hardware wholesalers, however, Simmons had grown and expanded aggressively in pursuit of a national market.  The Simmons "Keen Kutter" brand had become known all over the country. SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY           Street   City/State/Zip         Business Type Domestic Profit State of Incorporation MO       Status Date 11/15/1887 Status I       Registration Date 12/15/1873 Current Name Date 12/15/1873       Expiration Date Perpetual Report Period :       Last AR Filed   Last AR Year         Name Effective Date Name   1 09/06/1929 SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY OF ST. LOUIS   2 04/30/1929 SIMMONS HARDWARE DISTRIBUTORS COMPANY   3 11/15/1922 THE WINCHESTER-SIMMONS COMPANY OF ST. LOUIS   Name SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY OF ST. LOUIS   Street   City/State/Zip     Business Type Domestic Profit State of Incorporation MO   Status Date 04/13/1936 Status ID   Registration Date 11/15/1922 Current Name Date 09/06/1929   Expiration Date 11/15/1972 Report Period :   Last AR Filed   Last AR Year     Dissolution Date 04/13/1936 The Morton-Simmons (Keen Kutter) Building was constructed in 1905 by the St. Louis-based Morton-Simmons Hardware Company. Built as a distribution center for the company's line of "Keen Kutter" products, the building was reported to have contained more floor space than any other building in Wichita, 80 thousand square feet. Designed by the St. Louis Firm of Mauran, Russell and Garden, the architecture of the building incorporated both the Italianate and Romanesque styles. The four-story, nine bay red brick building boasted an automatic sprinkler system that included a 20 thousand gallon water tank located 20 feet above the sprinkler heads "hidden" in the cupola portion of the building. The 40-foot high square cupola features a hipped roof with pairs of brackets flanking circular window openings. Construction of the Keen Kutter warehouse began in 1905 and was completed in the spring of 1906. The four-story, all-brick building encompasses 80,000 square feet of space and cost $250,000 to build. Nine shipping bays received goods from all over the world. The project was designed by the firm of Mauran, Russell and Garden, considered the best in their profession.     The tower, or cupola, on the warehouse roof held 20,000 gallons of water; the heart of a state-of-the-art fire extinguishing system. The building itself was constructed to be fire-resistant. Its floors were water-tight, and its walls corbled at each level to retard air currents. Cracks and seams were sealed with oakum and pitch to render them air-tight. The massive wooden beams which formed the building's frame were built into the brick walls. In case of fire, this design would prevent a burning or collapsing beam from pulling the surrounding wall down with it.     The Keen Kutter warehouse was said to be the strongest building in Wichita and the largest warehouse in the world in 1906. Its design is identical to that of the Cupples Building in St. Louis. The Keen Kutter brand of tools was originated in 1870 by the E.C. Simmons Company. In 1874 the organization was incorporated under new federal corporation laws as the Simmons Hardware Company. It was the first company to take such a step.     The company motto was "The Recollection of QUALITY Remains Long after the PRICE is Forgotten."     A 1902 portrait of E.C. Simmons' top 257 salesmen is included in Jack DeBoer's Keen Kutter collection. It was made to honor them for selling over two million dollars worth of merchandise in just one month. The Keen Kutter gold axe badge, one of which is included in the collection, was awarded only to elite salesmen. The badge was worn on the lapel and considered a symbol of great esteem.     E.C. Simmons was a pioneer in the development of the catalog as a sales tool. His catalog was the first to use color pictures and was recognized around the world as the "hardware encyclopedia." The 1908 "G" issue, which contained over 79,000 items, was the largest hardware catalog of its kind in the world.     E.C. Simmons loved sales gimmicks. The firm promoted its products with moving figures for display windows, such as a large, electric-powered pocket knife which slowly opened and closed. The Keen Kutter puzzle was perhaps the most famous company promotional gimmick. One boy and one girl would be allowed to sit in a store display window while competing to complete the puzzle in the least possible amount of time. Victorious boys received a pocket knife; girls received a pair of scissors. Edward Campbell Simmons and August Frederick Shapleigh founded keen Kutter.   Time line: 1847 Shapleigh Day & Company established 1863 A.F. Shapleigh & Company established 1870 Keen Kutter name chosen by E.C. Simmons 1872 E.C. Simmons & Company established 1874 Simmons Hardware Company established 1922 Merger of Simmons Hardware & Winchester 1923 Winchester-Simmons Company established 1929 Simmons Hardware Company reverted to original status 1940 Shapleigh Hardware Company established 1962 Val-Test Distributors Buying Group still existing