Albert Wright Co. (future home of Emeryville Arts Center)

In c.1942 Albert Wright, a machinist, established the Albert Wright Screw Machine Products Co. in Emeryville.

This one-story brick factory stood on a lot just south of Emeryville’s City Hall at 4062 Hollis Street.

The Albert Wright Co. specialized in the manufacture of metal components using lathes, drill presses, shapers, thread rollers, and trimmer machines.

During World War II, the company filled orders for the armed forces. The company operated three shifts, 24 hours a day, and women were hired to work the machinery and work on the assembly line.

The company was awarded the U.S. Army and Navy “E” Award for excellence for production.

The Albert Wright factory continued to manufacture metal components after World War II. In 1949 the company specialized in the production of machine cap and set screws, studs and rivets, thread rolled parts, and Phillips recessed head screws.

In the 1950s, during the Korean War, the company received a military order for 3,000,000 artillery shell boosters, a device to prepare the shell for detonation.

The company hired a number of blind employees to assemble these boosters because of their perceived superior dexterity. Local papers reported the initiative as a successful experiment.

In c. 1964 the Albert Wright Company moved to Sonoma.

By 1969 United Stamping Company and Acorn Paper Company occupied the building.

The City of Emeryville acquired the site in 2006 with plans to convert it into an Arts Center although these plans have stalled.