Globe-Union LA Plant, 1935
Globe Union announces plans for a new battery plant in Los Angeles
November 15, 1935 (PD: 201511)
A 1935 illustration of the new Globe-Union battery plant in Los Angeles
On November 15, 1935, the Globe-Union Manufacturing Co. announced plans to build a new battery manufacturing plant at 5015 District Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The planned facility was part of a company expansion program for 1936 which also included plans for new battery factories in Dallas and Atlanta. The company already operated factories in Cincinnati, Memphis, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Seattle.
At the time, Globe manufactured roller skates, spark plugs, and electronic components (the latter through its Centralab division), in addition to its main business of batteries.
The new plants were expected to employ several hundred people while manufacturing batteries exclusively.
In 1962, the Los Angeles plant operations were moved to a larger, more modern facility in nearby Fullerton.
Johnson Controls entered the battery business by acquiring Globe-Union in 1978.
