The W. & J. Sloane Furniture Factory

Generations of Queensites recall the huge clock tower that could be seen over the left field fence at the old Shea Stadium, either sitting in the stands or from the behind-the-catcher camera angle that used to be seen much more frequently on game telecasts. During Shea Stadium’s time, this was the Serval Zipper Factory. In the early days at Shea, fans could see a neon sign on the building saying SERVAL ZIPPERS blink on and off.

The large building was constructed on what was then Lawrence Street (now College Point Boulevard) in the mid-1920s as offices and factory for the W. & J. Sloane Furniture Company, founded in 1843 by Scottish immigrants William and John Sloane, originally as rug and carpet importers. By the late 19th Century, the company had begun producing original furniture and gained a reputation as producing some of the finest examples of Colonial Revival furniture in the country. In 1891, Sloane opened a flagship store on Ladies’ Mile in Manhattan, later moving to 5th Avenue and 38th Street. Sloane was where the elite went for furnishings.

In the early to mid 20th Century, the firm branched into upscale interior decoration; the White House and Rhode Island mansion The Breakers were clients. Sloane furnished the interiors of World War II-era “liberty ships,” or massive cargo vessels. Unfortunately as Sloane expanded into hundreds of retail outlets around the country, the quality of workmanship declined, the firm went out of fashion and it went bankrupt in 1985.

Long before that, however, Sloane moved from its Flushing factory and the space was filled by Serval Zipper for several decades. It is presently  a huge U-Haul distributorship. The clock tower has been retained, but the clock works apparently haven’t been maintained.

Kevin Walsh’s website is forgotten-ny.com