Franklin Building; Franklin Auto and Supply

Built in 1916 by architect Preston J. Bradshaw, the Franklin Building is one of many buildings that arose within the city's historic Locust Street Automotive District (Auto Row). The building derives its name from its first occupant: the Franklin Auto and Supply Company. At the time, the Franklin Automobile enjoyed notoriety for its unique air-cooled engine (as opposed to a water-cooled system) and the unique car designs that accommodated the engine. A series of other automakers occupied the historic facility after Franklin departed. After decades of neglect, a renovation project in 2018 saved the building and gave it new life as the home to a business known as "Work & Leisure."

From 1911 to 1955, the historic automotive district supported multiple early automotive distribution, sales, and service properties, with Locust Street serving as the epicenter of Automobile Row by the 1910s. Before evolving into Automobile Row during the 1910s, the area primarily functioned as a residential neighborhood. From the 1850s to the 1880s, an abundance of residences moved west from downtown St. Louis into what became the Automotive District. The arrival of the Grand Avenue Railway Company in 1867 and, later, a streetcar line helped the area develop into an urban residential neighborhood known as "Midtown," which supported numerous shops, hotels, theaters, and bicycle shops. Even as late as 1909, Locust Street remained mainly residential, but a change was on the horizon. 

Automotive shops and dealers began to appear by 1911, interwoven with such commercial enterprises as grocers, printers, pharmacies, saloons, and hotels. Efforts to widen streets in the region made the area increasingly automobile friendly. In 1917, the newly formed St. Louis City Plan Commission proposed a plan to widen many of the city's streets to reduce traffic and congestion, especially in areas where urban expansion had rapidly overtaken former residential areas. By the time bond issues passed in the 1920s, Locus Street had already supported numerous automotive industry establishments.

The H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company, founded by Herbert H. Franklin in Syracuse, New York, produced automobiles between 1902 and 1934. With the assistance of engineer John Wilkinson. Franklin automobiles offered the first six-cylinder engines (1905), the first automatic spark advance (1907), and its most unique idea: air-cooled engines. Most car makers on the market at the time used water-cooled engines, which proved problematic for car owners in cold climates. Franklin believed lighter cars led to better performance because of the limited power of the engines (of that era), making the air-cooling system beneficial for its lighter weight, too. To demonstrate its reliability, L.L. Whitman drove a Franklin from New York City to San Francisco in 1906 in record time: 15 days 2 hours 15 minutes.

One limitation of the air-cooled engine involved the size of the cylinders and valves, which limited the car's power. In 1921, the engineers changed the fan from sucking hot air to blowing cool air, which led to a gradual increase in power. Some car buyers did not like the design of the Franklin automobiles either. So, in 1925, at the demand of dealers, Franklins were redesigned to look like conventional cars sporting a massive nickel-plated "dummy radiator," which served as an air intake and was called a "hoodfront." The same year, Franklin introduced the boat tail to car design.

The Great Depression took a significant toll on the Franking Automotive Company. The company went bankrupt in 1934. Around the same time, during the early 1930s, the Great Depression also resulted in diminished commercial activity along Locust. Many businesses closed, while several automotive parts and service companies diversified their product selection to stay in business. By 1932, businesses alongside automotive stores included a restaurant, a sign company, a printer, and a telephone company. Automotive-related businesses enjoyed growth after World War II, but Automotive Row by then supported both car-related businesses and operations without connections to the automobile industry. 

Moreover, after the war, dealerships slowly moved away from Automotive Row as automobile dealers required modern facilities. The dealers had to compete with Packard and "the Big Three" (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors), which required that dealerships offer more to customers, including large showrooms, multiple models on display, financing capabilities, and a full-service area. Such demands required that buildings be constructed significantly larger and located in prime locations that Locust Street could not provide. Still, during the '40s and '50s, auto repair shops, paint and body shops, supply stores, and service stations remained in business and thrived. 

Early, Frank J. "The Story of Herbert H. Franklin." Air Cooled News, Issue 10 (July 1956), posted by H.H. Franklin Club, Inc. franklincar.org. Accessed September 26, 2022. https://www.franklincar.org/about/history/herbert-h-franklin.html.

"Franklin Automobile Company Collection: An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University." Syracuse University Library, Special Collections Research Center. syracuse.edu. Accessed September 26, 2022. https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/f/franklin_25.htm.

Hood, Emily. "Inside Brennan's Work & Leisure on Locust." NextSTL. nextstl.com. July 26, 2018. https://nextstl.com/2018/07/inside-brennans-work-leisure-on-locust/.

Keenov, Ruth, Karen Bode Baxter, Timothy P. Malonev, and Mandv K. Ford. "Registration Form: Locust Street Automotive District." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2005. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Locust%20Street%20Automotive%20Dist.pdf. See Sec.8, no. 32: "Franklin Auto and Supply Company/Supreme Motor Company Building."