The Frederic M. Sibley Lumber Company Office Building is an office building located at 6460 Kercheval Avenue in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1989 and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1991. The building is known for being the beginning of a major trailer manufacturing company.

Frederic M. Sibley

Frederic M. Sibley was born in Detroit in late October, 1883.Clarence Monroe Burton, William Stocking, and Gordon K. Miller
''The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701–1922,'' The S. J. Clarke publishing company, 1922, p.675 As an adult, he joined his father's lumber company and acted as treasurer until his father's death in 1912, after which he assumed the presidency of the firm. In 1922, the Sibley Lumber Company employed 400 people and was the second largest lumber firm in Detroit. Sibley married Mabel Bessenger in August 1910. They had five children: Josephine, Frederic Jr., Dorothy, Suzanne, and Joy. Sibley is also known for his cooperation with August Fruehauf in developing the first

semi-trailer A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer. A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a trac ...

s to haul lumber. Sibley, approached August Fruehauf, his blacksmith about modifying a wagon to transport an 18' boat. Sibley wanted to use his Model-T roadster rather than a slow moving horse and wagon. August Fruehauf and his partner, Otto Neumann took several days to devise a solution. They removed the back seat of the Model-T to support the front end of the wagon and fashioned a 5th wheel coupling to attach the wagon to the back of the automobile. August called it a semi-trailer. Sibley was impressed with the solution and ordered additional semi-trailers for his lumber company. Henry Ford canceled the warrantee on the modified Model T's. August Fruehauf turned this invention into a goldmine. The

Fruehauf Corporation Fruehauf Trailer Corporation, previously Fruehauf Trailer Company (1918–1963) and Fruehauf Corporation (1963–1989), was an American company engaged in the manufacture and sale of truck trailers, and other machinery and equipment, with headquar ...

manufactured these trailers for many years afterward.Frederick M. Sibley Lumber Company Office Building
from Detroit1701.org

Description

The Frederic M. Sibley Lumber Company Office Building was constructed in a Neo-Classical style in 1925.Sibley Lumber Co. Office Building
from the city of Detroit The two-story building is red brick, trimmed with limestone, and the legend "F. M. Sibley Lumber Co." is carved in the limestone lintel above the entrance. The façade is divided into eleven bays, each separated by a brick pillar. Rectangular transoms within each bay separate the two stories. Four limestone pilasters with Corinthian capitals surround the entrance, flanked by two vertical recessed lights.
from the state of Michigan

References

{{Industrial landmarks in metropolitan Detroit Office buildings in Detroit National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Michigan State Historic Sites Unused buildings in Detroit Neoclassical architecture in Michigan Office buildings completed in 1917 Defunct forest products companies of the United States Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Fruehauf Trailer Corporation