Robert H. Newell & Co.

Robert H. Newell and Co.. Area 3. , In late 1900, Frank Beach began manufacturing custom-made shirts in Medina. The company was located in two small buildings on the Oak Orchard Creek on East Center Street. A stone building remains today. In 1902, Robert H. Newell joined Beach, and they were later joined by Robert Neill in 1908. In 1910, Newell became sole owner of what then became known the world over as Robert H. Newell and Co. In 1917, Newell was ready to expand. He purchased the former Hart House Hotel on West Center St., spending a considerable sum to convert it for his manufacturing needs. Robert H. Newell and Company became the largest and preeminent manufacturer of custom-made shirts in the eastern United States., At the height of its history, Newell had retail stores on Park Avenue in NYC and on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. At one time, Newell manufactured all the custom shirts for Saks Fifth Avenue. Among Newell's clientele were U.S. President Warren G. Harding, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, actors Tony Randall and Dick Powell, comedian Bob Hope, John Jacob Astor, and world war one flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Over their 100+ year history, the firm made shirts for countless other celebrities, statesmen, and businessmen. The name Newell became synonymous with the finest quality custom shirts available. The company survived until the early 21st century., The Hart House Hotel, Built in 1876 by Jacob Gorton, as the Gorton House, the establishment was widely known as the finest hotel in the area. Within a few years after its construction, the property passed to Elizur Kirke Hart of Albion, New York, a prominent banker and politician, and became known as the Hart House Hotel. Mr. Hart is now best known as an early owner and original namesake of "Heart Island" in the Thousand Islands of New York, upon which the famed Boldt Castle now stands. Part of the building currently operates as a hotel. Today, the structure is simply known as the R. H. Newell Building. It is listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a contributing property within the Downtown Medina National Historic District. Currently, the building is home to many uses, including a new Hart House Hotel., (Captions):, At far left, workers are shown hand cutting shirt orders with razor-sharp hand knives. Left, skilled seamstresses assemble the shirts. Below, R. H. Newell's national sales force visits the new factory, circa 1917., The former Hart House Hotel was purchased by Robert H. Newell in 1917, who converted the building for use as his new shirt factory.