THE ALLEN COUNTY WAR MEMORIAL COLISEUM

An address delivered before the Quest Club by Otto H. Adams, November 6, 1953, at the Chamber of Commerce, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Prepared by the Staff of the
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
1954

One of a historical series, this pamphlet is published under the direction of the governing Boards of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.

The members of this Board include the members of the Board of Trustees of the School City of Fort Wayne (with the same officers) together with the following citizens chosen from Allen County outside the corporate City of Fort Wayne:

FOREWORD

The story of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum began ten years ago. The progression of events between the first consideration of the memorial in 1944 and its completion in 1952 was by no means smooth and uninterrupted. The account of the solution of the problems involved in planning, financing, and constructing the memorial constitutes a community accomplishment.

The source material for this publication originated in a speech delivered by Otto H. Adams at a meeting of the Quest Club, November 6, 1953. Mr. Adams, recently elected president of the Coliseum Board of Trustees, reviewed the history of the Coliseum and discussed its value to city and county in his paper entitled “Coliseum—Asset or Liability?” James R. Fleming, the past president of the Board of Trustees, A. M. Strauss, the architect, and Don L. Myers, the coliseum manager, have supplied supplementary information.

The Boards and the Staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County present this pamphlet in the hope that it will interest and inform the citizens of Allen County.

In 1944 the Fort Wayne Junior Chamber of Commerce first proposed the construction of a coliseum as a memorial to the men and women of Allen County who had lost their lives in both World Wars. Such a structure was envisioned as serving a twofold purpose; it would honor our heroic dead and would greatly increase recreational facilities. A Russell Sage Foundation study was made after World War II; the report indicates a definite trend among memorial planners to erect “living memorials,” which serve the people while honoring their heroes, rather than ornamental arches, statues, and monuments. The Foundation believes that this trend is commendable and hails it as a “triumph of common sense over sentimentalism.” Contemporary opinion seems to be that construction of a useful memorial in no way detracts from the honor paid to the dead. On the contrary, it is felt that the utility of the monument demonstrates our regard for them more forcibly by benefiting that society for which they died.

The members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce conducted a survey of city residents and concluded that 78 per cent were in favor of the proposed coliseum. Two independent occurrences in 1944 added impetus to the movement. First, Psi Iota Xi Sorority sponsored an analysis of recreational facilities estimated to be needed by the city for a twenty-year period. The sorority submitted to the mayor a plan drawn up by Elwood Allen and George Nesbitt of the National Recreation Association. A memorial field house was one of the major recommendations of the plan. A memorial honoring General Anthony Wayne, the founder of the city, was also proposed in 1944. This memorial, too, was envisioned as a practical structure, and a field house was one of the suggestions. Both state and national funds could be employed to construct an Anthony Wayne memorial.

The Junior Chamber of Commerce survey determined that popular opinion supported the project. Accordingly, that association hired Mr. Allen, who had drawn up general recreational plans for Fort Wayne, to make a further investigation of possible sites and building plans. It was immediately evident that a coliseum would be a costly construction; 2 the cost would probably exceed two million dollars. The acquisition of funds was the first problem that had to be solved. James R. Fleming presided over the meeting at which the survey results were first discussed. He suggested building a coliseum as a memorial both to the dead of the two World Wars and to Anthony Wayne. He believed that financial aid could be obtained from the federal government in this way.

Despite general popular sentiment in Allen County favoring the erection of a coliseum, the planners faced and overcame many obstacles before their dream became a reality. In 1945 plans were announced for a sports arena, which was to be built by private enterprise in the Quimby Village area. Had these plans been realized, the sports arena would have been in direct competition with the Memorial Coliseum. The next impediment was in the form of objections to the proposed site; the residents of the Lawton Park area, which was the first site recommended, were vocal in their opposition.

Since at least a portion of the cost of a coliseum would be financed by property taxes, in 1946 it was decided to submit the question to the electorate of Allen County in the form of a referendum. After the county commissioners had agreed to place the question on the ballot, the Junior Chamber of Commerce organized and carried out an extensive publicity campaign to secure public approval. The War Memorial Commission, a group organized with the encouragement of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, assumed responsibility for the planning and co-ordination of the campaign. Don Myers was elected chairman. Conventional advertising media were utilized: newspapers, radio broadcasts, direct mail, and bus placards. In addition, public attention was dramatically captured by dropping thousands of leaflets over the city from a plane and by holding a torchlight parade on election eve. A special appeal was made to high school students. Commission speakers addressed student assemblies and explained how the coliseum could enlarge school sports programs. Buttons in school colors, advertising the coliseum, were distributed at football games, and publicity appeared in school newspapers. Although the planning of this well-integrated program must be credited to the War Memorial Commission, the Junior Chamber of Commerce continued to give active support and co-operated to carry out all phases of the fight.

Both major political parties endorsed the issue. The chairmen of the Democratic and Republican central committees signed a joint statement which advocated voting “yes” on a project that would benefit every person in Allen County. The average annual cost to the taxpayer would be only fifty-five cents, it was stated. Many civic organizations pledged their support. The Zollner Pistons played an exhibition game and donated all proceeds to the War Memorial Commission. The check for $1,700 was used for publicity to win the support of the voters. The Civic Theatre also gave a benefit performance for the cause. The Fort Wayne Civic Association paid for advertisements explaining the benefits of the proposed coliseum.

About this time, fearing that the sports arena function of the coliseum was being overemphasized, the president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce reiterated its primary purpose: “War memorials should be for the living, not for the dead alone. The living must be enabled to derive a spiritual lift from them. There must be a shrine to which one may go to commune with the missing and to pay tribute to the returned. A mere building does not serve this purpose. The true memorial building has a heart, a focal point. Some symbol within it must tell why the building was built, and this must be the center of interest.”

The results of the referendum of November 6, 1946, must have gratified the commission; that organization had endeavored to stimulate the public interest and approval and had succeeded admirably. The vote was five to one in favor of floating a bond issue to finance the memorial.

After the first World War, a law had been passed by the state legislature permitting the county councils to issue bonds for memorial purposes to the extent of ½ per cent of the total property valuation of the county. Based on the property valuation of Allen County in 1947, this proportion 5 would have been approximately one and one-half million dollars, but it was evident that the cost of the proposed coliseum would far exceed this amount. Public subscription and federal aid were among the several sources considered for obtaining the additional funds necessary to build the structure. But these auxiliary sources were discarded in favor of raising the ceiling of bonded indebtedness. A change in the statute was proposed. A bill was formulated and sponsored by the American Legion legislative committee. The War Memorial Commission warmly praised Robert Gaskill, chairman of the legislative committee, for his valuable assistance. The bill was enacted, and in March, 1947, Governor Ralph F. Gates signed the amended law increasing the ceiling from ½ per cent to 1 per cent of the assessable property in the county.

The majority of the voters of Allen County gave their support to the planners of the War Memorial Coliseum and were eager to have the preliminary work completed and the construction begun. But a small minority argued that increasing the indebtedness of the county was unjustifiable and that the Coliseum would impose too heavy a burden on the taxpayer. Some members of the minority attempted to thwart the coliseum plans; they contended that the law permitted the county to issue bonds for only one memorial and that Fort Wayne already had a memorial in Memorial Park. Both contentions were correct; if that memorial had really been built with funds secured from a county bond issue, it would have been illegal to finance the Coliseum by that means. Investigation disclosed that the theory that the old memorial was paid for by the county could not be substantiated. Apparently, funds were secured largely through the generous donations of individuals and were augmented by public subscription. Again the commission turned to the Indiana General Assembly, and this time the legislature unanimously passed a bill declaring a bond issue for a memorial coliseum legal.

The passage of the bill raising the amount of the bond issue assured approximately three million dollars for the memorial. The first decision facing the county commissioners 6 thereafter was the final selection of a site. On May 19, 1947, a joint meeting of the commissioners and the War Memorial Commission heard Elwood Allen recommend the Municipal Beach area. Mr. Allen cited the following sound reasons for his choice: the tract is well drained, high, and adequate in size to allow for future expansion; at the present time, two thirds of the rural population of Allen County have easy access to it; within the next few decades the center of population probably will shift toward the north of the city.

For a brief period there was some dissension between the county commissioners and the War Memorial Commission. The members of the commission had accomplished much of the preliminary work and felt that the commissioners were not giving sufficient consideration to their recommendations. Legally, the commissioners had the power of final decision; as elected officials they could not delegate authority to another group. The commissioners realized that any rift between the groups would be detrimental to the progress of the Coliseum; therefore, they offered the War Memorial Commission the status of “a public body to advise and counsel with” them. The commission unanimously accepted this proposal, and full accord was re-established between the two groups. The commission set up a planning committee to work in close co-operation with the commissioners and with Alvin M. Strauss, the architect for the Coliseum.

In April, 1948, the planning committee and the county commissioners scheduled a special meeting and invited representatives from thirty-three civic, fraternal, and labor organizations. Mr. Strauss presented his original plans which called for an expenditure of four million dollars. He also announced the retention of Elwood Allen, who had made preliminary surveys, as recreational consultant.

At this meeting the question of the proper seating capacity arose. The president of the Fort Wayne Federation of Labor, E. Robert Leach, speaking for his organization, advocated fifteen thousand seats to accommodate Fort Wayne’s anticipated population growth. But the business manager of the Zollner teams, Carl Bennett, expressed the opinion, based on his individual experience, that a far smaller capacity would suffice. If the capacity should consistently prove greater than the need, the Coliseum would burden the taxpayers for maintenance costs. On the other hand, the Coliseum should be adequate in size to accommodate larger audiences as the population increased over the years. In order to ensure the most authoritative professional opinion, the commissioners consulted the New Buildings Consulting Board of the International Association of Auditorium Managers. After conferring with that board the commissioners agreed on a capacity of ten thousand. Judging from past attendance records in Fort Wayne, it was decided that this size would be more than adequate for most events but would not create an extravagant community white elephant. The Memorial Hall was also discussed during this time. The War Memorial Commission appointed a committee of five clergymen to work with the architect in planning this important room. It was to be impressive and dignified.

The War Memorial Act provides that the Coliseum shall be supervised by a five-man board of which no more than three members may be affiliated with the same political party. The board members shall serve without remuneration. Appointed for a four-year term, they may be re-appointed at the end of that period. The terms are staggered so that all do not expire in any one year. Three members shall be appointed by the county commissioners; two by the circuit judge. The original board, appointed in June, 1949, consisted of Otto H. Adams, James R. Fleming, Chester V. Kimmell, Ramon S. Perry, and Alfred L. Randall. It was the responsibility of the board to supervise the construction and the operation of the building.

In December, 1949, the general construction contract was awarded to the Hagerman Construction Company, who submitted the low bid of $1,959,921. Bids were also accepted for the heating and plumbing, electricity, seating, sewerage, ice floor and refrigeration, and lockers. In each case the low bid was accepted, and the aggregate amount was under the three million dollar limit. All the awards were made tentatively, pending the issuance of bonds.

In January, 1950, the commissioners announced that the bid of the Chicago National Bank had been accepted for the bond issue. The bank formed a syndicate with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Beane; the Mercantile Commerce Bank and Trust Company; Harris Hall and Company, Incorporated; and the Fletcher Trust Company. A representative of the Chicago banking house said that the excellent credit and tax collection record of Allen County made the $27,445 premium possible. The interest rate is 1½ per cent.

At long last the finances were arranged, the architect’s plans were approved, and the contracts were awarded; now construction could begin. On January 24, 1950, just three weeks after the bond issue had been floated, the ground-breaking ceremony took place. Chester V. Kimmel, then chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Coliseum, presided. All county commissioners and trustees were present, and representatives of various veterans and civic organizations attended. The cornerstone was laid in November, 1951. In the spring of 1952, the massive structure was nearly completed. On Memorial Day the Allen County Council of Veterans Organizations held a flag-raising ceremony to mark the initiation of the final phase of construction.

Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees began the arduous task of compiling complete and accurate lists of the deceased in order that the names might be inscribed on the plaques in the Memorial Hall. No official list was available. Otto H. Adams, the secretary of the Board of Trustees, searched the records of the War Department and the veterans organizations. The completed list was published in both Fort Wayne newspapers; relatives and friends were earnestly requested to notify the board of any corrections or omissions. The roll of honor listed the names of 643 men and women. The total has since been increased by the casualties of the Korean conflict.

the entrance to the Memorial Hall.

The Board of Trustees had the responsibility of choosing a manager for the Coliseum. The duties of the manager were to include the administration and operation of the building, the supervision of personnel, and the scheduling of events. The choice fell upon Don Myers, who had been a most active promoter of the Coliseum since its inception. The NEWS SENTINEL published an editorial commending the choice and praising Mr. Myers: “When others insisted that it probably could not be done, he kept insisting that it could be done and that he for one wasn’t going to give up trying. He didn’t. He kept talking about the Memorial Coliseum night and day, week in and week out.” Mr. Myers has proved an able manager; his work has won him recognition in his profession, and he was awarded the trophy at the Auditorium Operators Convention for his outstanding record during the 1952-53 season.

During the construction period two changes occurred on the Board of Trustees. Ramon S. Perry’s term expired, and Chester V. Kimmel, the chairman, resigned to go to India under the Point Four Program. James R. Fleming, who had served on the board since its beginning, was elected chairman. Ellison L. Meier and Elmer Kolmerten were appointed to fill the vacancies.

The War Memorial Coliseum was completed in September, 1952. Nearly eight years had elapsed since the Junior Chamber of Commerce had conceived the idea of erecting a suitable memorial to the war dead of Allen County. The men who had worked unremittingly through those years were amply rewarded when the building was opened by impressive dedicatory services.

The dedication program was preceded by a parade in which bands from all the city and county high schools and representatives from twenty-four county veterans organizations participated. The Great Lakes Naval Training Center Band opened the ceremony. The Aeolian Choir of the General Electric Company sang “America, the Beautiful” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Lewis K. Gough, the National Commander of the American Legion, delivered the principal address and said in part: “This is the hallowed hall of heroes ... this Memorial Coliseum, a living memorial to our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, our fathers and our dear friends who served their God and their country with the last full measure of devotion.”

The Coliseum is a remarkable structure. Mr. Strauss has stated that a great many architectural problems had to be solved in planning the edifice. The necessarily massive size and isolated location might have resulted in an ill-proportioned and bulky building. Fortunately, the judicious adaptation of a contemporary modern style by the architects has achieved a dignified building that is both functional and beautiful. By placing the ramps between the levels on the exterior, Mr. Strauss succeeded in overcoming bulky appearance. The ramps modify a bluff façade of high vertical walls and soften the relationship between the bulk of the mass and the adjacent ground area.

The exterior of the octagonal building is brick and Indiana limestone. The bricks are in three different hues to provide variation in the broad expanse of the walls. Ten rigid steel frames support the roof. Each frame weighs 70 tons and has a clear span of 239 feet—a longer span than any other single-welded rigid framework ever erected in the United States. The dimensions of the Coliseum are impressive: 425 feet in length, 300 feet in width, and 87 feet in height from the floor of the main arena.

One problem in the construction of a great building arises from discrepancies in the rates of expansion and contraction of various materials used. In the Coliseum the concrete seating construction is attached to the steel frame of the building by a device operating on the principle of a hinge. It is so designed that when the steel and concrete expand at different coefficients, the hinge moves to adjust to the disparity. Careful consideration has been given to facilitating the ingress and egress of spectators. The upper main seating area is served by sixteen vomitory entrances, and the lower arena by four. The multiple entrances make it possible to empty the building very rapidly after each performance and are an important safety factor in case of emergency.

one of the ten rigid steel frames which support the building.

As the president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce had promised in the earliest plans for the Coliseum, the memorial to the war dead is the focal point of the building. The main entrance on the north leads directly to the Memorial Hall. Five cast aluminum heads have been placed on the exterior of the building above the windows of the hall. These heads symbolize the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force. The interior of the august hall measures seventy-five feet in length and thirty feet in width. Four kinds of marble are used in the decoration: French Notre Dame for the background, English Renfrew for the inserts, Italian Red Levanto for the platform, and Spanish Bois Jourdan for the door panels. Two bronze plaques, one at either end of the hall, list the casualties of Allen County beneath the following inscription: “This Coliseum is dedicated as a living memorial in honor of these men and women who gave their lives in World Wars I and II of the nation so that we might live.”

The Sports Arena has an area of approximately 25,000 square feet. There are 7,250 permanent seats in the upper seating area, and additional temporary seats can be erected to bring the total capacity to 10,500. The windowless room is lighted by a battery of 220 one-thousand watt lamps. The concrete floor is inlaid with almost ten miles of pipe through which brine is pumped to form ice on the floor. A layer of ice from three eighths to three fourths of an inch thick freezes in twelve hours. After an ice show or a hockey game the ice is thawed to slush and scraped into a large pit to melt and drain away. A portable basketball floor can then be installed; the floor consists of 214 four by eight feet sections which can be joined by means of an electric screw driver in two hours. For theatrical or musical productions a portable stage is erected.

Two notable features in the arena are the electric scoreboard and the organ. The first was purchased for the Coliseum by Wolf and Dessauer at a cost of $30,000 and is one of the finest existing scoreboards in the country. Spectators in every section of the arena can easily read one of its four faces. Mrs. Ida Dick of the Dick Piano and Organ Company donated the organ in memory of her husband.

a southwest view of the Coliseum showing the entrance to the Exhibition Hall.

The Exhibition Hall occupies the lower level of the building and covers an acre and a quarter in area. The hall provides ideal accommodations for agricultural and industrial exhibits such as the 4-H Club Fair and the Automobile Show. Because the level has its own separate box office, lobby, and concession stand, events can be scheduled concurrently with those in the Sports Arena without interference. Ramps connect the two levels.

The Coliseum has brought many benefits to Fort Wayne. Local organizations have better facilities for their activities. For example, the 4-H Clubs held their annual fair in the Exhibition Hall and were untroubled by uncertainties of weather. Recently, the Board of Trustees leased sixteen acres adjacent to the building to this group. The Boy Scouts served 1,500 guests at their annual recognition dinner in the Coliseum. During the Christmas season, the Christ Child Festival is held there. Now the regional high school basketball tournaments can be held in Fort Wayne.

An important benefit arises from the major sports events and appearances of famous entertainers. The stars of stage and screen and of the world of sports bring many visitors to Fort Wayne; increased business results for the merchants and the hotel and restaurant owners. Sports announcers and reviewers give much favorable publicity to Fort Wayne because of our fine Coliseum. Thus, the Coliseum, besides honoring the war dead of the community, is a great asset to the citizens of the community. The building admirably fulfills the dual role of a “living memorial.”

OTTO H. ADAMS

Otto H. Adams was one of the first appointees to the War Memorial Commission, which was organized in 1946 to plan a coliseum. He served as a member until the commission was superseded by the Coliseum Board of Trustees; he was then appointed to this official governing body. In January, 1954, he was elected president of the board; previously he had been vice-president and secretary.

The son of William C. and Sophia (Felger) Adams, Otto Adams was born June 5, 1894, in Allen County, Indiana. After completing secondary school, he continued his education at the Indiana University Extension Center in Fort Wayne. For a number of years Mr. Adams was employed by the Indiana Service Corporation. In 1939 he was named General Superintendent of City Utilities; and from 1943 to 1947 he served as City Controller. In 1947 he accepted his present position as controller at Zollner Machine Works, Incorporated.

The United Commercial Travelers elected Mr. Adams “Man of the Year” in 1952 in recognition of his record of community leadership. An editorial in the FORT WAYNE NEWS-SENTINEL on February 9, 1953, commented: “The long-time Fort Wayne civic leader has so many notable facets of achievement in civic leadership, charitable endeavor, and generally unselfish service to his credit that it is virtually impossible to enumerate them all.”

Otto Adams served as chairman of the Allen County Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis for seven years. He has served on the directorates of numerous civic organizations, including the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Allen County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Y.M.C.A. He has held office as president of the Lakeside Northeast Community Association and as treasurer of the Anthony Wayne Council of Boy Scouts. He was also a member of the organizing committee of the United Fund. Long associated with the Republican party in Fort Wayne, he has been treasurer of the Allen County Republican Central Committee since 1950.

A veteran of World War I, Otto Adams is active in the American Legion. He is a Mason and is a member of the Quest Club and the Elks. He attends the Trinity English Lutheran Church. Mr. Adams is married and is the father of four children.

JAMES R. FLEMING

James R. Fleming was elected president of the Board of Trustees of the Coliseum in 1952 prior to the dedication of the building. He retained that post until January, 1954. His term of office included a rather critical and very successful period in the operation of the Coliseum.

James R. Fleming was born November 8, 1881, in Henry County, Indiana; his parents were George R. and Sarah (Cummins) Fleming. He completed his elementary and secondary education in local schools and was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Law at the University of Michigan in 1904.

After graduation the young lawyer began his practice at Portland, Indiana, where he was soon elected Prosecuting Attorney for Jay County. He was later elected to the Indiana General Assembly and served several years both in the lower house and in the state senate. In 1933 President Roosevelt appointed Mr. Fleming United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. Many notorious criminals then operated in this area; James Fleming held office between 1933 and 1941 and successfully prosecuted many of these gangsters.

At present Mr. Fleming is engaged in the practice of law in Fort Wayne. He is chairman of the board, co-publisher, and treasurer of the FORT WAYNE JOURNAL-GAZETTE; he serves as president and treasurer of Erie Materials, Incorporated, and Erie Ready-Mix Concrete, Incorporated, and the director and general counsel for the Sheller Manufacturing Corporation and its subsidiaries.

In addition to his professional and business interests, Mr. Fleming is active in many civic and social organizations. As a director of the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, he became interested in the earliest coliseum plans. His work in advancing this project was publicly recognized in 1949, and he was appointed to the original Board of Trustees.

He has also been a director of the Fort Wayne Art School, the Fort Wayne Civic Symphony, the Fort Wayne Community Concert Association, the Fort Wayne Civic Association, the Fort Wayne Musical Society, and the Fort Wayne and Indiana Presbyterian Foundations. He is a member of the American, Federal, Indiana, and Allen County Bar Associations; the Indiana and the Allen County Historical Societies; the Indiana Society of Chicago; the Fort Wayne Country Club; the Masons; and the Elks. Mr. Fleming is also an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Wayne. He is married and is the father of two children.

DON L. MYERS

Don L. Myers was chosen manager of the War Memorial Coliseum in 1951 prior to the completion of the edifice; he continues in that capacity at the present time. Wide recognition has been accorded him; he was awarded a trophy by the International Association of Auditorium Managers for his efficient and successful management during the 1952-1953 season.

Mr. Myers was born in Wolcottville, Indiana, February 12, 1914. He accompanied his family to Fort Wayne in 1929, attended North Side High School, and graduated in 1931. His first positions were in sales promotion and hotel work; during World War II he was employed in the essential steel industry. He was sales manager for the V. R. Myers Pump Supply Company before his appointment as manager of the Coliseum.

In 1942 Don Myers joined the Fort Wayne Junior Chamber of Commerce and was soon an active member. Through his associations in the “Jaycees,” he became a proponent of the Coliseum. Mr. Myers assisted in the formulation of the initial plans for the memorial, and when the War Memorial Commission was organized to execute the plans, he was chosen president. Later, when the memorial building was under construction, he was elected to the Allen County Council. As a councilman, he used his opportunities to expedite the progress of the Coliseum. Don Myers is a member of the First Baptist Church. He is married and is the father of two children.

ALVIN M. STRAUSS

The Commissioners of Allen County selected A. M. Strauss, Incorporated, to design the War Memorial Coliseum because of the notable achievements of the firm and because that architectural corporation could complete all phases of structural planning. Thus, the need for employing architects from other cities would be obviated.

Alvin M. Strauss, born April 8, 1895, at Kendallville, Indiana, was the son of Abraham and Frieda Strauss. After the completion of his secondary education in the city of his birth in 1912, he was employed for several years in architectural offices in Fort Wayne and Chicago. His career was interrupted during the first World War by military service. Following his discharge in 1918, Mr. Strauss returned to Fort Wayne and opened his own office of architectural consultants. Mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering personnel were added to the staff in the 1940’s. The firm was incorporated in 1950 under the name of A. M. Strauss, Incorporated.