Berkey & gay dresser with mirror

The Oriel factory became Berkey & Gay's Plant No. 1 following the merger, and an addition was immediately made to the plant in 1912.

Local stockholders reopened the factory in 1935, and continued production until World War II, when it was converted to wartime needs. In 1919 the company further expanded the factory 240 feet north along Monroe Avenue.

In 1920, the company merged with the Wallace Furniture Company and the Grand Rapids Upholstery Company to form Consolidated Furniture Companies but continued to use the trademark Berkey & Gay because of its name recognition.

Oriel Cabinet constructed a factory at this site in the 1880s, but the original factory was destroyed by fire in 1890. Around the year 1900 the branded type label was replaced by a paper label. This was highly successful, and soon the Berkey brothers were concentrating on making furniture. After the war, an attempt was made to convert back to furniture production, but the company was again forced to declare bankruptcy in 1948 and closed the factory for good.

The Berkey & Gay Furniture Company used three different types of labels to mark the tables and other furniture that they manufactured.

The first label was branded into the wood and can often be found inside the drawers of authentic Berkey & Gay sideboards and other case pieces. Interior

Vintage 1920s American Jacobean Cabinets