Montreal Neighborhoods: St Henri

Berliner Gramaphone Company/RCA Victor building

The building now known as the RCA Victor building on Lenoir Street was originally built by the Berliner Gramaphone Company between 1908 and 1921 for the production of gramaphone equipment. Emile Berliner was born in Germany, moved to Washington, and finally settled in Montreal. He invented the telephone microphone, the gramophone and the flat record. When construction was completed in 1921, Berliner Gramophone possessed one of the most modern factories in Montreal. The 50,000 sq. ft. plant made both players and records.

This was home of Berliner Gramophone Company. Note the sign showing Nipper the dog, the Berliner logo, followed by The Home of the Victrola. (photo dated approx 1912)
from the Emile Berliner Museum

The original Berliner buildings were torn down in 1943 and replaced with more modern buildings built with similar architecture. Apparently only the massive chimney and power plant remains from the original construction. Note the large Toshiba logo that sat atop the building for many years. Toshiba has nothing to do with this building but is indicative of the lack of North America brand names in consumer elec

The Gramaphone Company bought the now-famous painting of Nipper the Dog from the English painter Francis Barraud in 1896. Barraud had first offered the painting to representatives of the Edison-Bell Company who turned him down telling him that "dogs don't listen to phonographs". This trademark first appeared in 1900 in Montréal on the back of record # 402 - "Hello My Baby", by Frank Banta. This classic logo has adorned millions of Gramaphone, RCA, and RCA Victor recordings over the last 100 years.

In 1924, Berliner Gramophone was bought by the Victor Talking Machine Company which, in turn, merged with RCA in 1929 to form the RCA Victor Corporation. RCA had been created 10 years earlier in a merger of General Electric and ITT radio assets. In 1986 RCA Victor was sold back to GE who now owns the nipper logo

These buildings were used to make records and gramaphone equipment. Later RCA built satellites in these buildings. Today the building is rented out to artists, textile and furniture manufactures. The Emile Berliner museum located on Lacasse Street is a informative reminder of the history of this building.

View from the Lenoir side of the complex across from the Home Depot.

View of the power plant and base of the huge chimney.

Comments:

Emile Berliner Museum	2011-08-27 12:06:37
Please note our new web site address: http://www.berliner.montreal.museum/ "The RCA Victor Years" is our current exhibition. "The RCA Victor Years" is an exhibition that chronicles the history, the technical, artistic influence of the famous company located in Montreal in the heart of the Saint-Henri district. Through its themes, the exhibit recalls the great periods of the company: the birth of RCA-Victor; the story of its employees, daily life in the plant “the old smokestack’’ , the evolution of recording techniques, the RCA artists. The visitor makes a journey through time surrounded by artefacts: radios, record players, televisions. Exhibit ends December 18, 2011 The Emile Berliner Museum is located at 1050 Rue Lacasse, C-220, Montreal. Hours: Friday to Sunday: 14:00 to 17:00.
Evelyn Cohoon	2011-06-14 12:10:02
My father, Donald Cohoon, worked as a senior engineer at this plant from 1941 to 1976 when he retired. My mother also worked in the radio assembly area in 1941, and this is where the two met. Other engineers in the television development dept were: Bill Morrison, manager, Bill Gilhooly. Would be nice to hear from them or their families.

...credits