This is where your zenith tv was built!

[drh4683]

Not much has changed since 2003 when I took the first set of photos. Ive uploaded them again so you newer members can see them. I took photos of both old plant (6001 W Dickens) and the new plant an office (1900 N. Austin ave). The buildings are simply separated by railroad tracks. Dickens is E-W street, while Austin ave is N-S. Picture quality is not as good. I would have spent more time taking other photos but I had to get to an estate sale before it closed just up the road. I was able to get a nice zenith color set there too!

Here is a description of the photos, from left to right:
1: Looking SE at the Dickens Ave plant.
2: Looking SE at the Dickens Ave Plant.
3: Looking SE at the Dickens Ave plant.
4: Looking at the front facing north of the Dickens plant.
5: Same as 4
6: 6001 W. Dickens ave main enterance
7: Inside view through window of the main enterance
8: Looking SW down Dickens Ave
9: Intersection of W. Dickens Ave + N. Austin Ave looking SW.
10: Looking NW at the 1900 N. Austin Ave plant
11: Looking NW at 1900 N. Austin. The then new (around 1962) offices at the west end.
12: East side of the 1900 N. Austin plant
13: South end of 1900 N. Austin, truck loading. Zenith signs still present today on building!
14: Looking NW at the Austin Ave offices. Zenith built the new plant and offices as an expansion around 1961-1962. The new address took effect on service manuals around 1963.
15: Front enterance of 1900 N. Austin Ave
16: Looking NE, Dickens ave plant. Austin plant is just to the south of the tracks.
17: Another view looking NE
18: Both Dickens Ave plant to the north and the Austin Ave plant to the south.

[Carmine]

The clock moved!

[drh4683]

Never looked at that! Wow!
Also, Saginaw and Excel are no longer there. The signs obviously taken down.

[stereofisher]

to see these pics. I am not much of a "free market" economies guy. Wished the government had stepped in and put stiff tarrifs on all foreign built TV sets to even the market and eliminate the unfair advantage they had. I still remember the sweet smell those Zenith TV's had coming out of the box at Chaiet TV in New Paltz NY. It was a real pleasure to work for this man. He taught me the basics of retail. It was small business at its best. Sales and service.

I have two Zeniths built in that plant. A Transoceanic 3000 and a AM only 710the later was a Ebay project for $10. Miss those days in the 60's. The quality of audio and electronics isnt the same now. We had lot of TV's too. Nice pics and I wish Zenith was stll there.

Eric

[polaraman]

I once worked in a place that used a lot of lead in the workplace. The business was very strict about smoking, eating and drinking because of the lead. Once ingested into your body, it is always there. We had to take hand washing lessons once a year. Also included were tips on spotting lead poisoning. I wonder if this was a policy to keep the Zenith workers safe from lead solder?

I would love to have the possessed clock above the door. I have been looking for one of those to install in my retro palace. There is a huge four foot round clock on a wall in a thrift store nearby. It still works and I do not think they will give it up.

polaraman

[Carmine]

That makes good sence Polara man... The bodyshops in Chrysler plants are really strict about the "eating-near-lead" thing, (although nobody leads seams anymore ).

Here I was just thinking it was done to prevent somebody from toasting a ham sandwich on a HOT.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by drh4683

The buildings are simply separated by railroad tracks.

Did you know the plants are connected by a tunnel under the RR tracks? We used to walk under to go to the new building on Fridays because that was "superburger" day at the good cafeteria. The food at the Dickens cafeteria was your basic mystery meat in gravy kind of stuff. Many people bought lunch at the "roach coach" that came around on Dickens instead.

The Dickens building has several mismatched floor levels. I worked in an area that was 5 or 6 steps down from the main corridors - we called it the pit. It had one wall that backed up to the tracks, no windows, and a door in the back of the room with a long staircase down to the production floor and the tunnel.

(All this I recall from the one year I spent there approx Aug '74 - Sep '75 before we moved to Glenview.)

[drh4683]

Great to hear your memories Wayne. Thank you. Sounds like it was really quite a place to work back when it was still in operation. Id really like to get in touch with someone that owns the building. My goal is to tour the building without the fear of getting caught. I took a big risk walking in like I did, but it was not forced entry, simply an unlocked door (the grey door you see in the photos) off Dickens.