Speareflex Building #10
241 East Kalamazoo Avenue, Kalamazoo

Dating from 1941, this simple Art Deco office building provided a stylish facade to an entire block of structures used for the manufacture of fishing tackle, automotive parts, and products used in the Second World War. Originally called the Shakespeare Company for the family who started the business, it was renamed Speareflex to reflect their most popular item.

Building plans show moderate Art Deco detail: horizontal and vertical elements at the front entrance, curved corners with brick glass windows, and a concrete exterior. On the inside, doors with circular windows and shiny metal louvers divided up the offices in the front of the main floor. According to 1957 Sanborn maps, the rest of the building was used for storage, tool making, repairs, artwork and printing, and a chemistry lab.

In the 1970s, the Speareflex Company relocated to South Carolina and other subsidiary locations, leaving behind the rapidly deteriorating block of buildings which span from the early 1900s in construction dates.