The Unistrut Corporation records cover the establishment and development of two companies founded by the architect Charles Attwood. The records offer information about the products produced and sold by these companies. Included in the records are background information pertaining to the Deceleco and Unistrut companies, job files documenting the planning and execution of Deceleco contracts, catalogs and product literature, publications that resulted from research into the Unistrut system of construction, and photographs largely depicting tests of the space frame system designed by Charles Attwood.
Deceleco, Inc., the predecessor company to the Unistrut Corporation, was established in 1924 by Charles Attwood, a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Architecture. Attwood, upon graduation, had first worked as a machinist with Willys Overland Company in Ohio. He then formed his own architectural firm of Attwood and Trysell. This firm soon dissolved and Attwood next joined the architectural firm of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates. There he was given the assignment of designing powerhouses to contain electrical circuits, generators, and switches. Little information then existed about methods to safely house electricity powerhouses. After studying the problem, Attwood determined that use of cell structures would reduce the rate of fires resulting from sparks let off when switches were thrown. At the time, there were few manufacturers who could manufacture the parts that Attwood needed for the cell structures. In order to produce them himself, he established Deceleco, Inc. in 1924. In 1926, he moved the company to Wayne, Michigan.
A few years after Deceleco, Inc. was established, a metal-clad switch gear was introduced into the market. Attwood recognized the impact that this innovation would have on his company. In order to keep Deceleco, Inc. competitive, he addressed problems related to electrical powerhouses: the lack of housing for electrical wires and conduits, and the lack of plumb and square floors for the powerhouses. Attwood devised an adjustable frame system which could support heavy loads solved both of these problems.
At the end of the 1930s, Attwood invented and developed a system of precast metal frame construction that would become the cornerstone of the Unistrut Corporation. This method of construction does not require that holes be bored into steel members in order that they be fastened together. Instead a nut that slides in a channel locks the structural elements tightly together. The Attwood System of Frame Construction, also known as the Unistrut system, was advertised in Attwood's first product catalog appearing in 1940. Over the next seven years, Attwood's factory in Wayne, Michigan, was outfitted so that it could independently produce all of the components needed for the Unistrut system (previously produced by a company in New York state and sold through distributors). George W. Butler, one of these distributors, was very successful in selling the Unistrut system. Butler secured the international marketing rights and incorporated the Unistrut Products Corporation in 1944. Butler developed Unistrut distribution centers in many parts of the United States.
The 1950s witnessed further expansion and international marketing by the company. In 1957, Unistrut exhibited a building constructed entirely from the company's metal framing system at the International Trade Fairs. In 1962, Unistrut Corporation acquired the Unistrut Products Corporation so that all business activities associated with Unistrut products was conducted from the Wayne, Michigan, location. The Telespar and Space Frame systems were also developed during this time period. In 1964, Charles Attwood died.
The 1970s saw a shift in the focus of the Unistrut Corporation. Rhett W. Butler joined the company and instigated a move from a manufacturing-centered business to an international marketing enterprise. (Butler became president of Unistrut in 1971.) The company also prepared to offer stock for sale. Preparations to "go public" included clearing the title to all patents, copyrights, and trademarks, as well as purchasing several associated subsidiaries. The company also merged with GTE Sylvania, Inc. in 1973. Manufacturing facilities for Unistrut products were established in England, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Canada. The Color Line partition system was added to the company's product line in 1977.
In the beginning of the 1980s, the company focused on utilizing computers to control inventory. Employee teams were also formed to improve the quality of the company's products. In 1984, the Unistrut management was informed of GTE's decision to divest Unistrut. The Unistrut Management bid for the ownership of Unistrut during the remainder of 1984 and the beginning of 1985. In January, 1986, Unistrut Management signed a purchasing contract with GTE.
Unistrut continued to develop in the 1990s. One of the projects tackled by the company during this time was the construction of the Shah Alam Stadium in Malaysia. The stadium was built using Unistrut's space frame system. It seats 81,000 people and incorporates the longest free standing arch in the world.
