Scenes from The Shaw groundbreaking and L.C. Walker Avenue dedication ceremony held Monday, June 9, 2025, at the construction site, 920 Washington Avenue. Speakers included local and state officials and the CEO of Parkland Properties.

MUSKEGON, MI - At the cusp of the 20th century, two West Michigan entrepreneurs were trying to bring something new to the evolving furniture industry.

In 1899, Louis C. Walker and Arch W. Shaw founded the Shaw Walker Company in Muskegon with $450 to their business’ name.

Hoping for some financial help from his father, Walker instead received some sage advice for the business that would later boom, overlooking Muskegon Lake: “Paddle your own canoe.”

Walker and his partner Shaw did just that, kicking off a company that would employ thousands of Muskegon residents and a structure that would become a community landmark.

The Coffee Factory at the Watermark, 930 Washington St. in Muskegon, which is the site of the former Shaw Walker furniture factory. The furnishings and interior decorations are from the old factory. It opened in 2016.

After the company closed nearly 100 years later and the building became an eyesore, a renovation project is underway not far from Muskegon’s downtown core.

The large property of the former Shaw-Walker office furniture factory once full of broken glass and other signs of overgrowth is now a construction site.

Developer Jon Rooks, of Parkland Properties plans to have at least 500 residential units in the mixed-use property overlooking Muskegon Lake on the edge of downtown.

The Watermark 920 event center at the Watermark Center, 930 Washington St. in Muskegon.

How did we get to this point?

The factory complex was erected in 1903, four years after the Shaw-Walker furniture company opened in town and saw quick growth and success.

Over the decades, the company employed thousands of Muskegon workers who created innovative office furniture designs.

The company continued to expand and modernize in the two decades following World War II.

Struggling to keep up with the evolving furniture industry, Shaw Walker closed its doors in 1989 after nearly 90 years of business.

The property sat vacant for another three decades, becoming the “eyesore on the shore” or the “mistake on the lake,” as locals have recalled.

Signs of blight and abuse shown with smashed windows and spray-painted walls.

Developer Moses Gross of Brooklyn, New York, developed a portion of the property into the Watermark Lofts with about 50 residential units, the Coffee Factory restaurant, and Watermark 920 event center.

After facing financial difficulties, Gross sold the property to a creditor in 2022.

Now, owner Parkland Properties is developing “The Shaw.” The development plan includes 557 new housing units, a restaurant, commercial suites, a rooftop pool and hot tub, indoor parking and pickleball courts.

Keep reading for a detailed, historical timeline of the Shaw-Walker company and the other former factory location:

1899

The Shaw-Walker Company was founded in 1899 by Louis C. Walker and Arch W. Shaw, of Grand Rapids.

Both worked for the Fred Macey mail-order company in the neighboring city and sought to bring the same success to the lakeshore.

At the time, Muskegon’s economy had “floundered amidst the collapse of the lumber boom,” according to a March 5, 1949 Muskegon Chronicle article.

A mail-order office furniture factory, the company soon became known for its innovative designs.

They originally opened in the Opera House block downtown Muskegon with two presses, a cutting machine and tabbers on which they printed and cut 3-by-5-inch index cards, according to the Watermark Center website.

The company’s first product line was called a “system,” organizing the index cards in small wooden cabinets with drawers, similar to a recipe box.

Employees developed wooden record-keeping systems and office equipment to help all types of businesses.

They also contracted with the Grand Rapids Desk Company, which manufactured desks in Muskegon Heights.

The business also was set to open with “printing presses and other machinery ... of the latest and finest makes, selected especially for the needs of the business to be conducted,” according to a Feb. 17, 1899 Muskegon Chronicle article announcing the new business.

Facing financial troubles in the first entrepreneur stages, L.C. Walker reportedly asked his father for a business loan of $100.

According to a March 2, 1932 article about the company’s history, “the return telegram, instead of bringing the hoped-for money, contained the following information: ‘I paid your way through college, paddle your own canoe.’”

The two soon obtained a loan of the same amount from C.C. Billinghurst of Lumberman’s Bank, “who duplicated the loan two more times before the company was definitely on its feet.”

A few years later, Billinghurst was given $300 of stock and made a director of the company. After Billinghurst’s death, the same stock sold for $85,000.

1900

Just a year later, business was booming and the company relocated to a building at the corner of Seventh Street and Western Avenue, according to the Muskegon Actors Colony.

1903

The three-story facility soon planned for a 15,000-square-foot expansion, according to a March 14, 1903 Muskegon Chronicle article.

“The Shaw-Walker Co. has had a remarkable growth since its establishment in this city four years ago,” the article stated.

In its first four years, Shaw-Walker grew from 11 employees to 175 employees, serving all states across the U.S. with mail-order office furniture.

The company also expanded to have a branch office in Chicago.

“It uses nearly a third of all the stamps sold by the Muskegon post office so large is its correspondence.”

1911

A one-story brick building to house an engine room and machine shop was constructed, as well as dry kilns made of cement block, according to a July 22, 1911 article in The Muskegon Times.

A three-story office building was constructed later that year at the corner of Division and Michigan Avenue using “attractive paving bricks for the facade,” according to the Muskegon Actors Colony.

The “fire-proof administration building” cost the business $12,000, a Sept. 1911 Muskegon Times article reported.

A five-story addition to the building followed.

1912

In a Sept. 5, 1912 article, the Muskegon Chronicle reported that the Shaw-Walker company had increased its capital from $300,000 to $400,000.

At the same time, the Piston Ring Company in Muskegon Heights increased its capital from $5,000 to $13,000.

Shaw-Walker Company built a building at the corner of West Western and Division that was designed by famed industrial architect Albert Khan and his associate Ernest Wilby.

It housed the manufacturing of the company’s newest product, steel filing cabinets - “a new industry for Muskegon, although managed in connection with the present factories of the company,” a Sept. 17, 1912 Muskegon Times article reported.

The $50,000 addition to the factory was in response to the “steadily increasing” demand for steel cabinets, specifically for fire-proof buildings at the time.

“No change will be made in the wood cabinet making, however, as this product is growing more popular continually,” the article reported.

1913

The “Built Like a Skyscraper” steel filing cabinet began production. The nickname became a namesake for the company over the years.

1917

The “Built Like a Skyscraper” steel filing cabinet gained notoriety and was seen in advertisements.

1929

The “work-organizing” desk was introduced to the product line.

1932

The company was making 3,300 different items at this time, including wood and steel filing equipment, desks and cupboards.

1937

The “Low Desk for Comfort” was introduced, lowering from 30.5 inches to 29 inches, also creating a new industry standard.

1939

A Shaw-Walker file key is found in a fish caught off Trondheim, Norway and returned to the home office in Muskegon - proof that the company was reaching customers worldwide, the Chronicle reported in 1949.

1949

At this time, the plant contains at least 15 acres of floor space across nine buildings and employs 1,000.

A five-story, 50,000 square-foot addition for production and warehouse purposes is planned for the rear of the main building at Western Avenue and Division Street, a March 4, 1949 Muskegon Chronicle article reports. A Detroit firm was awarded the construction bid for $400,000.

The addition provided to be the largest industrial expansion in the city that year.

Products were being sold in many countries including Egypt, Japan and India.

1950

Another five-story building is added to the factory complex at the corner of Western Avenue and Hudson Street. This time, a Kalamazoo company was awarded the construction bid for $330,000.

It added another 47,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space and was “equipped with an elevator and other modern features,” the Muskegon Chronicle reported on Sept. 30, 1950.

1951

A successful company of 1,200 employees, Shaw-Walker announced its first ever retirement pension program in 1951.

The plan was made available to all employees who had worked two years or more with the company and provided pensions up to $50 per month for workers who reached age 65.

The purpose was to provide “both a means for regular savings and a substantial pension on retirement,” said company president L.C. Walker in an Aug. 17, 1951 Muskegon Chronicle article.

1954

The first Shaw-Walker factory, erected in 1901, is voted to be razed after being deemed a hazard by city commissioners and building inspectors, the Muskegon Chronicle reported on May 12, 1954.

1956

The Shaw-Walker office building and face of the main office sported a new look after construction in 1956.

The front of the building was now made of stone, aluminum and mahogany and the grounds in front were landscaped, according to a July 18, 1956 article by the Muskegon Chronicle.

1957

An 82-year-old L.C. Walker turned over the company presidency to his son, Shaw Walker. Not wanting to retire just yet, the founder took on the role of chair for the company’s board of directors.

A Dec. 18, 1957 Muskegon Chronicle article described L.C. Walker as a community philanthropist just behind the contributions of Charles H. Hackley and “a leading force in the development of this community since the turn of the century.”

1967

A five-story addition was added to the south side of the sprawling factory complex, according to an Aug. 3, 1967 article in the Muskegon Chronicle.

The space was for the warehousing of a new line of desks and other products as well as an expansion of the printing and filing supplies departments.

Shaw-Walker is described as “one of the oldest and most respected names in the office equipment industry.”

1973

A $350,000 new plant building is constructed at the corner of West Western Avenue and Division Street to house the paint finishing department, the Muskegon Chronicle reported on July 25, 1973.

The new building was connected to the old by a bridge over Division Street.

1975

A $635,000 addition to the plant is in the final stages of construction on Aug. 21, 1975, according to the Muskegon Chronicle.

1981

Company President Shaw Walker retired.

1989

Shaw Walker Furniture Company was sold to Westinghouse Furniture Systems.

As a result, Shaw-Walker, Knoll, Ref and Westinghouse Furniture Systems combined into a single subsidiary called Knoll Group.

The factory operations mostly ceased at the property with the exception of one, single-story building.

2001

Brooklyn based developer Moses Gross with P&G Holdings purchased the Shaw-Walker property: 39 buildings on a 21-acre site for $1.75 million.

2004

Renovations by P&G begin in one of the seven buildings on the property to create 55 condominium units known as Watermark Lofts.

2005

Watermark Lofts opened to the public.

2009

2011

At the time, the developer planned to add an ambitious film production facility called Watermark Studios USA, more residential condominiums with the potential of restaurants, a health club, a boutique hotel, offices and specialty retailers.

2016

The Coffee Factory opened in the Watermark Lofts building, with furnishings and interior decorations from the former factory.

2020

Watermark 920 Banquet & Event Center closed for good during the COVID pandemic.

2022

Parkland Properties of Michigan began formal negotiations to acquire the former Shaw-Walker property in April 2022.

In the following six months, the developer performed extensive environmental and structural research, construction cost estimating and market studies.

Three days before Christmas 2022, Parkland Properties acquired the property and immediately began implementing plans to redevelop the property into a mixed-use community with residential and retail.

2024

Clean-up work was done at the property to prepare the site for full construction.

2025

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in June with more than 250 people in attendance, including representatives of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Department of Environment Great Lakes & Energy, state legislators, local stakeholders and residents.

The city of Muskegon also dedicated a portion of Western Avenue, between Division and Franklin Streets, as “L.C. Walker Way.”

This timeline was compiled using information from Parkland Properties, the Muskegon Actors Colony, Watermark, historian Steven L. Mogol’s collection, the Hackley Library and Torrent House archives in Muskegon and MLive/Muskegon Chronicle archives.