Commercial Solvents Building Exterior

Description:	Exterior view of the Commercial Solvents building in Terre Haute, as seen from railroad tracks. The company was owned by Charles J. Smith and was the first plant in the country to produced butyl acetate, known as Butanol. The plant began producing the chemical in 1918 after the process was patented by Chaim Weizmann, a British chemist. Coveted for its fast-drying properties, it was used primarily in lacquers for the auto-industry and by the 1920s supply of the product exceeded demand. The original nitrate negative was copied with funds provided by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission in 1990. This digital image was created from that copy. The copy prints and negatives are stored in Microfiche Number order. Interpositives are stored in PAN number order.
Origin:	Circa 1920
Created By:	Martin Photo Shop
Publisher:	Digital image 2015 Indiana Historical Society. All Rights Reserved.
Source:	http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/dc013/id/577
Collection:	Panoramic Photograph Images
Copyright:	This image may be printed or downloaded by individuals, schools or libraries for personal use, study, research or classroom teaching without permission. For other uses contact: visualcollections@indianahistory.org.
Geography:	Indiana--Vigo County--Terre Haute
Subjects:	Industrial buildings Commercial Solvents Corp Factories

Further information on this record can be found at its source.