Updated: February 7, 2025
After its first bricks were laid in the 1880’s, an area in North Downtown became a bustling economic hub that served as the home to millworkers and furniture makers. One of those companies, Adams & Kelly Company, set up shop in a massive 190,000 sq ft building located on the corner of 12th and Nicholas. Founded in 1892, the company relocated from its original home at 1353 Sherman Ave in 1902 to this building.
The millwork company experienced rapid growth and after acquiring the surrounding lots, it constructed new buildings in 1906. The warehouse was on one end of the block while the factory was on the other end. By the time the third building was constructed which connected to the other two in 1910, the company employed 150 and was the largest manufacturing and jobbing firm in the sash and door business in the west.
Adams & Kelly provided a complete millwork service including economic modern stock designs, odd millwork and had a display room. Retailers entered the building to deliver raw materials and returned to pick up the finished products. As noted above, it was built in three separate parts with the warehouses on the east and west end first and then a building in the middle to connect them. They advertised Bilt-Well Wood Work products in 1950. The company was purchased in 1961 by the O. W. Siebert Company of New York. Adams & Kelly manufacturing facilities shut down at some point afterwards and the building was used as a warehouse for a time.
Ashton Wholesale Service which was founded by John P. Ashton in 1950 originally operated out of 1750 Marcy St until 1962 at which point, they bought the building at 1218 Nicholas that had previously been occupied by Adams & Kelly for so long. Ashton provided building supplies including windows, doors, moldings, stair rails, prefabricated kitchen units and other interior trim to the lumber and building industry. The business remained owned by the Ashton family until 1994 when its shares were purchased by the firm’s 36 employees.
Surplus Sales of Nebraska moved its business from the Kimball Laundry building at 1502 Jones to the Ashton building in 2003. The surplus electronics business dealt almost exclusively in obsolete and sometimes esoteric electronic parts. Within the large building were huge spools of coiled wire, capacitors, vacuum tubes, knobs and dials and other items that were sold online. The company remained there until at least 2011 before eventually relocating to Fort Calhoun.
In 2018 the Ashton Building was identified as the centerpiece of the new Millwork Commons development aimed at strengthening the city’s urban core as well as adding culturally vibrant and inclusive spaces for creators, innovators and community. After the renovation was completed in 2020 it became a hub for tech, art, design and community growth. It is the home to a number of local businesses while the first floor is the home to Kros Strain Brewing, Archetype Coffee, Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop, Clean Slate Cafe, Coneflower Creamery, Dolomiti Pizza, Heirloom Fine Foods Market & Cafe and Hutch. Its office tenants include local startup Workshop, Habitat for Humanity, United Way of the Midlands and Google Fiber.
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