- White Tower Hamburgers
Infobox Company
name = White Tower Hamburgers
type = Private
genre =
foundation = 1926 inMilwaukee, Wisconsin cite book |last= Hogan |first=David Gerard |title=Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=PT6s4ZbznHMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=Samuel+V.+Blair+Kewpee&source=web&ots=baIRvwIuqL&sig=6nt64erA2i8yJbdBYalUm8D0cVs&hl=en |format= |accessdate=2008-06-04 |accessyear=2006 |accessmonth=06 |edition= 1st |series= |volume= |date= |year= 1997 |month= |publisher= NYU Press |location=
language= |isbn=0814735673 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= 52-55 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= ]
founder =John E. Saxe Thomas E. Saxe cite book |last= Hogan |first=David Gerard |title=Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=PT6s4ZbznHMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=Samuel+V.+Blair+Kewpee&source=web&ots=baIRvwIuqL&sig=6nt64erA2i8yJbdBYalUm8D0cVs&hl=en |format= |accessdate=2008-06-04 |accessyear=2006 |accessmonth=06 |edition= 1st |series= |volume= |date= |year= 1997 |month= |publisher= NYU Press |location=
language= |isbn=0814735673 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= 52-55 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= ]
location_city =Dayton, Ohio cite web |url=http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/midwest/mweats/mwburger/index2.htm |title=Burger Joints Midwest Page 2 |accessdate=2008-06-19 |work=Roadside Peek.com |date= ] cite web |url=http://chefmoz.org/United_States/OH/Dayton/White_Tower_Restaurant1089167884.html |title= United States: OH: Dayton: White Tower Restaurant |accessdate=2008-06-19 |work=ChefMoz dining guide |date= ]
location_country =USA
location =
locations = 1
area_served =Dayton, Ohio cite web |url=http://chefmoz.org/United_States/OH/Dayton/White_Tower_Restaurant1089167884.html |title= United States: OH: Dayton: White Tower Restaurant |accessdate=2008-06-19 |work=ChefMoz dining guide |date= ]
key_people =
industry = Fast Food Restaurant
products = Hamburgers, soft drink
services =
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intl =White Tower Hamburgers was founded in
1926 inMilwaukee, Wisconsin , and with its similar white fortress-like structure, is considered an imitator of White Castle. The chain was successful and expanded to other cities, including:Chicago, Illinois ,Indianapolis, Indiana ,Cleveland, Ohio ,Detroit, Michigan , Philadelphia andPittsburgh, Pennsylvania ,New York , andBoston, Massachusetts .cite web |url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/archstories/restaurants/fast_food.asp |title=Roadside Highlight: White Tower Hamburgers |accessdate=2008-06-18 |work=Buildings with Taste: Fast Food Restaurants |date= ] During theGreat Depression , White Tower sold hamburgers for five cents.The whiteness of the restaurant was meant among other things to evoke hygenic conditions,cite web |url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/archstories/restaurants/fast_food.asp |title=Roadside Highlight: White Tower Hamburgers |accessdate=2008-06-18 |work=Buildings with Taste: Fast Food Restaurants |date= ] the chain had staff dressed as nurses, dubbed the "Towerettes" to help make this argument.
History
John E. Saxe andThomas E. Saxe started White Tower Hamburgers after investigating various White Castle locations, observing operations and hiring a White Castle operator. The first location opened nearMarquette University inMilwaukee, Wisconsin cite book |last= Hogan |first=David Gerard |title=Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=PT6s4ZbznHMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=Samuel+V.+Blair+Kewpee&source=web&ots=baIRvwIuqL&sig=6nt64erA2i8yJbdBYalUm8D0cVs&hl=en |format= |accessdate=2008-06-04 |accessyear=2006 |accessmonth=06 |edition= 1st |series= |volume= |date= |year= 1997 |month= |publisher= NYU Press |location=
language= |isbn=0814735673 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= 52-55 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= ] By the end of 1927, there were 6 locations in Milwaukee andRacine, Wisconsin . In 1929, White Tower put 30 locations in Detroit alone. Despite the Depression, White Tower expanded to 130 locations.cite book |last=Funderburg |first=Anne Cooper |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Wr_yPYvkNWwC&pg=PA140&dq=White+Tower+Hamburgers&lr=&sig=WP7QjL2ombB43OWjhGslWEtP09Q |format= |accessdate= |accessyear=2008 |accessmonth=06 |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year=2001 |month= |publisher=Popular Press |location= |language= |isbn=087972854X |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=140 |chapter=Make it Quick! |chapterurl= |quote= ] White Tower placed many of their locations near train and trolley stops.cite book |last= Hogan |first=David Gerard |title=Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=PT6s4ZbznHMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=Samuel+V.+Blair+Kewpee&source=web&ots=baIRvwIuqL&sig=6nt64erA2i8yJbdBYalUm8D0cVs&hl=en |format= |accessdate=2008-06-04 |accessyear=2006 |accessmonth=06 |edition= 1st |series= |volume= |date= |year= 1997 |month= |publisher= NYU Press |location=
language= |isbn=0814735673 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= 52-55 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= ]In 1929,
White Castle sued White Tower inMinnesota for unfair competition and White Tower counter-sued inMichigan as White Tower had arrived in Michigan first. The Minnesota case ended in 1930 in favor of White Castle forcing White Tower to end its use of similar building designs, slogans and name. The Michigan case dragged on until 1934 revealing the hiring away of a White Castle location operator and photographing of the latest White Castle to keep up on design. A U.S. Court of Appeal later affirmed the lower courts rulings of they had copied White Castle deliberately. White Castle refrained from forcing a name change for White Tower but did require new locations, to pay a royality fee, and to send photos of the locations. Having to change its look, White Tower first used an art deco, then modernistic designs. Territorially, White Tower and White Castle stayed away from each other from then on out.cite book |last= Hogan |first=David Gerard |title=Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=PT6s4ZbznHMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=Samuel+V.+Blair+Kewpee&source=web&ots=baIRvwIuqL&sig=6nt64erA2i8yJbdBYalUm8D0cVs&hl=en |format= |accessdate=2008-06-04 |accessyear=2006 |accessmonth=06 |edition= 1st |series= |volume= |date= |year= 1997 |month= |publisher= NYU Press |location=
language= |isbn=0814735673 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= 52-55 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= ]In 1941, White Tower Management Corporation moved its headquarters to Six Suburban Ave., Stamford, CT.cite web |url=http://www.choycepeterson.com/news_story/Oct_29th_2007.html |title=New Investment Advisor Locates in Historic Structure at Six Suburban Ave., Stamford, CT |accessdate=2008-06-19 |work=Choyce Peterson |date=2007-10-29 ]
At its peak in the mid-1950s, the chain had 230 stores; today only a few remain, all of which are located in
Ohio . It tested the "Tower-O-Matic" automated restaurant in the 1950s and 60s.cite web |url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/archstories/restaurants/fast_food.asp |title=Roadside Highlight: White Tower Hamburgers |accessdate=2008-06-18 |work=Buildings with Taste: Fast Food Restaurants |date= ] White Tower also attempted a sit-down restaurant called Marbett's. [cite web |url=http://www.dvrbs.com/camden/CamdenNJ-WhiteTower-Marbetts.htm |title=White Tower & Marbett's |accessdate=2008-06-19 |work=dvrbs.com |date= ]Brock Saxe took over as president of White Tower Management Corporation in 1970 from his father, T.E. Saxe, when he retired. Brock changed the name of White Tower Corporation to Tobrock Corporation on the corporation's 50 anniversary as it also owns a chain of steakhouses called Brock's. [cite journal | quotes = | last = Swart | first = Hannah W. | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = September 1980 | year = 1980 | month =9 | title = Bookmarks/Wisconsin: White Towers review | journal = Wisconsin Academy review | volume = 26 | issue = 4 | pages = 48 | publisher = Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters | location =
Madison, Wisconsin | url = http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.v26i4 | language =
format = html | accessdate =2008-06-19] With the migration of people to the suburbs and most of the White Tower locations in the city by 1979 only 80 Tombrock Corporation owned locations remained. Tombrock Corporation branched out into franchising Burger Kings and Golden Skillet Chicken.cite book |last=Funderburg |first=Anne Cooper |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Wr_yPYvkNWwC&pg=PA140&dq=White+Tower+Hamburgers&lr=&sig=WP7QjL2ombB43OWjhGslWEtP09Q |format= |accessdate= |accessyear=2008 |accessmonth=06 |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year=2001 |month= |publisher=Popular Press |location= |language= |isbn=087972854X |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=140 |chapter=Make it Quick! |chapterurl= |quote= ] Today only a few remain, all of which are located inOhio .cite web |url=http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/midwest/mweats/mwburger/index2.htm |title=Burger Joints Midwest Page 2 |accessdate=2008-06-19 |work=Roadside Peek.com |date= ] cite web |url=http://chefmoz.org/United_States/OH/Dayton/White_Tower_Restaurant1089167884.html |title= United States: OH: Dayton: White Tower Restaurant |accessdate=2008-06-19 |work=ChefMoz dining guide |date= ]ee also
*White Castle
*Fast food References
External links
* [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/archstories/restaurants/fast_food.asp Wisconsin Historical Society article on White Tower]
* [http://www.economist.com/markets/bigmac/displayStory.cfm?story_id=154515 As Hamburgers Go, So Goes America?The Economist Newspaper, Aug 21st 1997]
* [http://alanwolfson.net/whitetower.htm Model of a White Tower restaurant.]
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