Abandoned steering wheels in a bakery office, Louisville, KY
At the time of its dedication in 1908, The Whiteside Bakery was hailed as the largest, most sophisticated bakery in the United States, producing over 140,000 loaves of bread for Louisville residents each day. The bakery building itself was designed in the Mission Style, a curious choice by architect Arthur Loomis, since the style was not well represented in the Louisville area. The National Register nomination for this building notes that "Loomis's use of this contemporary California mode... provided a particularly happy solution for the structure's location within a transitional zone." The building was also buffeted by two commanding towers, one of which was festooned with ornamental gargoyles on each corner. Atop one tower was a large electric clock which tolled upon the hour. At dusk, "the characters... in letters of fire... read, 'Mother's Bread.'"
General Baking Company of New York acquired Whiteside in 1928. Soon afterward, General began producing their trademark, "Bond Bread," which was the best-sellign brand of bread in the U.S. To this day, the ornamental neon sign, declaring "Bond Bread: Better by Far" remains atop the eastern tower of the building.
The bakery was sold to the Dixie Baking Company in 1966. By 1973, it was abandoned. Since then, the building though vacant, stores hundreds of 1970s-era auto parts. A portion of the executive offices upstairs is host to hundreds of multi-colored steering wheels
Abandoned steering wheels in a bakery office, Louisville, KY
At the time of its dedication in 1908, The Whiteside Bakery was hailed as the largest, most sophisticated bakery in the United States, producing over 140,000 loaves of bread for Louisville residents each day. The bakery building itself was designed in the Mission Style, a curious choice by architect Arthur Loomis, since the style was not well represented in the Louisville area. The National Register nomination for this building notes that "Loomis's use of this contemporary California mode... provided a particularly happy solution for the structure's location within a transitional zone." The building was also buffeted by two commanding towers, one of which was festooned with ornamental gargoyles on each corner. Atop one tower was a large electric clock which tolled upon the hour. At dusk, "the characters... in letters of fire... read, 'Mother's Bread.'"
General Baking Company of New York acquired Whiteside in 1928. Soon afterward, General began producing their trademark, "Bond Bread," which was the best-sellign brand of bread in the U.S. To this day, the ornamental neon sign, declaring "Bond Bread: Better by Far" remains atop the eastern tower of the building.
The bakery was sold to the Dixie Baking Company in 1966. By 1973, it was abandoned. Since then, the building though vacant, stores hundreds of 1970s-era auto parts. A portion of the executive offices upstairs is host to hundreds of multi-colored steering wheels