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| Goldblatt advertisement 1918 |
According to the Goldblatt Tool Company's version of its history, "In 1885 when a Russian immigrant named Henry Goldblatt, hoping to build a new life in the frontier town of Kansas City, opened the 'H. Goldblatt Tool Company' it was with the unbridled optimism that was sweeping the United States."
The real story, researched from Ancestry.com, other internet sources, and a Goldblatt family member, follows. Thank you to Andrew Goldblatt for his photographs.
Henry H. Goldblatt was born about July, 1855, as Henry Milner in Lithuania. Henry took the surname Goldblatt as a ruse to avoid conscription. According to the family, an adopted child could not get drafted in the czar's army. Henry, his wife Mary, and 3 children emigrated to the United States around 1882, and later had 2 more children.
Henry began business in Kansas City, MO, selling second hand furniture. In the 1897 city directory, he owned a saloon at 1434 E. 18th St. In the 1900 city directory he owned a second hand store at 1425 Grand Ave. In the 1901 directory, the business description had changed to retail hardware, with the family living upstairs at 1425 Grand Ave. By 1906 the retail hardware store had moved to 1410 Grand Ave.
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| Henry Goldblatt's hardware store, 1425 Grand Ave., around 1901 |
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| 1909 Sanborn map, 1400 block Grand Ave. |
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| 1896 Sanborn map, 1434 E. 18th St. |
Not until the 1909 city directory is Henry listed as having H. Goldblatt Tool Co. at 1402 Grand Ave. In 1910 the company issued Catalogue No. 6, which suggests that No. 1 was in 1904. Henry's fourth child, Louis I. Goldblatt (1887-1955) was a manufacturer’s agent with the same business and home address as Henry.In 1922 Goldblatt built a distinguished brick and stone 2-story brick building at 1522 Walnut St., Kansas City. The street number has changed to 1520 Walnut St. The building is in a National Historic District, and is described on page 6 of this document.
The 1933 city directory lists Louis I. Goldblatt as president of Goldblatt Tool Co., and his older brother Philip G. Goldblatt (1878-1961) as vice president-secretary-treasurer. Henry died in 1934. The illustration to the right is from their 1928 catalog and is not identified but is likely a member of the Goldblatt family.
After World War II, Louis's son-in-law Alexander A. Levy (1914-2007) was president, Louis's son Melvin Lloyd Goldblatt (1922-2012) was treasurer, Philip Goldblatt was vice president, and Philip's son Norman F. Goldblatt (1908-1981) was secretary. The company moved to 1910 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO in 1949. An interesting aside is that Melvin left the company and moved to California in 1960, where he was bookkeeper for the rock band Jefferson Starship. Melvin Goldblatt obituary Alexander Levy obituary Norman F. Goldblatt Ancestry.com
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| Goldblatt Tool Co. employees, November 1953 |
Around 1963 or 1964, steel maker Bliss and Laughlin Industries bought Goldblatt Tool Co. from the Goldblatt and Levy families. In 1965 the company built a 200,000 square feet manufacturing facility on a nine acre site at 511 Osage Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas.
In 1982 Bliss and Laughlin changed its name to Axia Inc., and in 1984 a group of investors acquired Axia in a leveraged buyout. The new company sold Bliss and Laughlin Steel Co., leaving Goldblatt Tool Co. as its largest division.
Axia sold Goldblatt and another division to Stanley Works in 1991, and Stanley continued to operate the plant at 511 Osage Ave. Goldblatt’s market share declined after the sale, resulting in Stanley’s selling the division to FinishPro Tools of Lenexa, Kansas in 2006. In 2010 Goldblatt Tool Co. was sold again, to Hangzhou Greatstar Tools Co., Ltd. (HKGS) of Hong Kong, China, operating under Goldblatt Industries, LLC. Goldblatt press release YouTube video 2011
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| Norman F. Goldblatt |
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| 1938 catalog |
Mark - awesome history here, thanks for digging into it so much! I actually work for an ad agency that helped Goldblatt with their complete relaunch after the 2010 acquisition, but we no longer work for them. If you didn't see it, we also put together this corporate story video for them back in 2011 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyn73vVSoAg), but didn't have nearly the history that you managed to dig up available to us. Very interesting that your research led you to realizing the company didn't actually start until 1909!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the post!
My great-grandfather Henry Goldblatt was from Lithuania. They changed their name from Milner to Goldblatt in Lithuania, not the U.S., as a means of escape. Goldblatt was sold to Bliss & Laughlin in 1963 or 1964 or maybe 1965, but not 1962. Melvin was comptroller for the Jefferson Airplane, and I suppose later Jefferson Starship. This is the first I learned that they were sold again in 2010 to a Hong Kong firm.
ReplyDeleteAndrew (Andy) Goldblatt
I was hoping I could hear from Mark or Kyle. Andyg498@cs.com
ReplyDelete-Andrew (Andy) Goldblatt
please call bruce about old drywall trowels and knives. i have started a museum and would like some help.thank you bruce 612 590 9069.
ReplyDeleteI have a tool that only has a Gold Blatt Tool Company sticker on it. I would love to post a picture to see if someone can help me determine what it is because it has no numbers anywhere on it. It appears to be a crimper of some sort and is probably 4 ft long with a blade (not sharpe) that goes down into a fixture with holes like you would stick a wire or something in, pull the handle down and crimp or cut something. Any ideas how I can find out what this piece is? Thanks.
ReplyDeletePlease email me at wvamark21@gmail.com
DeleteI have a 1946 and 1948 catalog for 5.00 each plus shipping if interested email me
ReplyDeletebarbarawhite5399.bt@gmail.com about catalogs above
ReplyDeleteI just came upon a leveler from this company how can I find the age if it?
ReplyDeleteGo to International Tool Catalog Library at Archive.org, search Goldblatt for their catalogs.
DeleteI have an old power trowel made by Goldblatt and the sticker shows the Osage address, so I'm guessing it was made after 1965? I'm trying to date the Briggs and Stratton engine, but curious as when they stopped making them, as I've never seen one in use.
ReplyDeleteI have an unusual vintage Goldblatt hand Sledgehammer with a rectangular head and serrated hammering surfaces, much like a meat tenderizer. it has an early looking maker stamp that reads "GOLDBLATT TOOL CO. K.C. MO." Anyone out there have info on this hammer? ?
ReplyDeleteIt's a bush hammer for pulverizing rough concrete and stone to flatten out the surface. There are similar chisels for air tools that can also do this.
DeleteI worked at Goldblatt in the late 1970s
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