Segal Lock and Hardware Company
Encyclopedia
The Segal Lock and Hardware Company of Manhattan, New York was a leading manufacturer of hardware merchandise and razor blades in the
1920s
and 1930s
. First established in Connecticut
and Manhattan, the firm relocated to Brooklyn, New York in the mid 1920s. The Segal Safety Razor Corporation was a subsidiary of the Segal Lock and Hardware Company. The business was at first known as the Burglar-Proof Lock Company.
Segal was
started by Samuel Segal, formerly a New York City
detective in 1912, through his invention of a nearly burglar-proof lock. The vertical deadbolt
lock eliminated a horizontal bolt, concentrating on the hinge principle. Segal had noticed that burglars picked locks but never hinges. The firm's beginning was aided by a few more policeman. The original capital was approximately $1,000. Segal and his associates refused $1,000,000 in cash for their fifty separate lock patents.
Shortly before her death Mrs. May Stevenson Segal, wife of Samuel Segal, invented a burglar-proof lock, which was marketed to a leading lock manufacturer.
real estate. The combined floor area was 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²). Segal planned to add three more large buildings at an approximate cost of $500,000.
The property fronted the waterfront in the Red Hook, Brooklyn
section of Brooklyn. The development enabled Segal to move two plants from Connecticut and its warehouses from Manhattan. Employment was to increase to 1,600 persons.
In November 1927 the Segal Lock and Hardware Company announced the sale of 5,000 shares of common stock and 5,000 shares of preferred
stock. The stock was placed privately with no public offering made.
The company acquired a controlling interest in the Norwalk Lock Company and the Universal Razor Blade Corporation in 1929. Stockholders approved an increase in the authorized stock of the company to 400,000 shares, of which 300,000 shares were outstanding.
The corporation introduced a single unit safety razor in late 1930, a low priced product designed to use only Segal double-edged blades. The following year Segal placed on the market the Unimatic Segal Razor, a one-piece razor which accepted a double-edged blade. The firm entered a contracted with United Cigar Stores
in June 1931. The agreement was for a long term of years and stated that the cigar interest would feature and distribute Segal razors and blades.
In October 1933 the Segal Lock and Hardware Company was awarded a contract to provide the finishing hardware for 1,595 apartments in the
Knickerbocker Village
. This was a model housing development in the Lower East Side
. It was made possible by a loan of $8,075,000 from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
.
The company sold its Stamford, Connecticut
factory buildings to Macklett Laboratories, manufacturer of X-ray tubes, in March 1934.
Segal announced plans to introduce a new type of single-edged razor blade and a new aluminum window in mid-1946.
Strauss Fasteners Inc., was acquired by the Segal Lock and Hardware Company in February 1947.
. Another suit, decided in Boston, Massachusetts, resulted in an agreement between Segal and Gillette. The former agreed to discontinue the manufacture of razor blades which infringed the Gillette patent. Segal continued to manufacture its own razors and blades which fit their own razors. However they were forced to discontinue making blades which also fit razor handles made by Gillette.
1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
and 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
. First established in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and Manhattan, the firm relocated to Brooklyn, New York in the mid 1920s. The Segal Safety Razor Corporation was a subsidiary of the Segal Lock and Hardware Company. The business was at first known as the Burglar-Proof Lock Company.
Segal was
started by Samuel Segal, formerly a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
detective in 1912, through his invention of a nearly burglar-proof lock. The vertical deadbolt
Deadbolt
A dead bolt or dead lock , is a locking mechanism distinct from a spring bolt lock because a deadbolt cannot be moved to the open position except by rotating the lock cylinder. The more common spring bolt lock uses a spring to hold the bolt in place, allowing retraction by applying force to the...
lock eliminated a horizontal bolt, concentrating on the hinge principle. Segal had noticed that burglars picked locks but never hinges. The firm's beginning was aided by a few more policeman. The original capital was approximately $1,000. Segal and his associates refused $1,000,000 in cash for their fifty separate lock patents.
Shortly before her death Mrs. May Stevenson Segal, wife of Samuel Segal, invented a burglar-proof lock, which was marketed to a leading lock manufacturer.
History, expansion of corporation
In August 1926 the business purchased a square block on Ferris Street, Sullivan Street, and Walcott Street for use as a factory and foundry to make Segal locks. Segal owned two large factory buildings, a foundry, and a machine shop on this property with the addition of thisreal estate. The combined floor area was 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²). Segal planned to add three more large buildings at an approximate cost of $500,000.
The property fronted the waterfront in the Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
section of Brooklyn. The development enabled Segal to move two plants from Connecticut and its warehouses from Manhattan. Employment was to increase to 1,600 persons.
In November 1927 the Segal Lock and Hardware Company announced the sale of 5,000 shares of common stock and 5,000 shares of preferred
stock. The stock was placed privately with no public offering made.
The company acquired a controlling interest in the Norwalk Lock Company and the Universal Razor Blade Corporation in 1929. Stockholders approved an increase in the authorized stock of the company to 400,000 shares, of which 300,000 shares were outstanding.
The corporation introduced a single unit safety razor in late 1930, a low priced product designed to use only Segal double-edged blades. The following year Segal placed on the market the Unimatic Segal Razor, a one-piece razor which accepted a double-edged blade. The firm entered a contracted with United Cigar Stores
United Cigar Stores
United Cigar Stores was the largest chain of cigar stores in the United States. Though initially specializing in cigars, it eventually sold many other items, such as Mickey Mouse watches and shoe trees. The chain was founded in 1901. The chain represented the interests of the Consolidated Tobacco...
in June 1931. The agreement was for a long term of years and stated that the cigar interest would feature and distribute Segal razors and blades.
In October 1933 the Segal Lock and Hardware Company was awarded a contract to provide the finishing hardware for 1,595 apartments in the
Knickerbocker Village
Knickerbocker Village
Knickerbocker Village Limited is a lower-middle class housing development located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.-Location:...
. This was a model housing development in the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. It was made possible by a loan of $8,075,000 from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was an independent agency of the United States government, established and chartered by the US Congress in 1932, Act of January 22, 1932, c. 8, 47 Stat. 5, during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. It was modeled after the War Finance Corporation...
.
The company sold its Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
factory buildings to Macklett Laboratories, manufacturer of X-ray tubes, in March 1934.
Segal announced plans to introduce a new type of single-edged razor blade and a new aluminum window in mid-1946.
Strauss Fasteners Inc., was acquired by the Segal Lock and Hardware Company in February 1947.
Litigation
In October 1931 the Segal Lock and Hardware Company sued Gillette (brand), asking $2,000,000 in a loss of blade contract. The suit claimed a violation of the Clayton Antitrust ActClayton Antitrust Act
The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 , was enacted in the United States to add further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime by seeking to prevent anticompetitive practices in their incipiency. That regime started with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, the first Federal law outlawing practices...
. Another suit, decided in Boston, Massachusetts, resulted in an agreement between Segal and Gillette. The former agreed to discontinue the manufacture of razor blades which infringed the Gillette patent. Segal continued to manufacture its own razors and blades which fit their own razors. However they were forced to discontinue making blades which also fit razor handles made by Gillette.