When Metzner Tire Co. opened in 1927, it was the exclusive dealer for Auburn Red A Tires, a product that claimed it could go 20,000-40,000 miles. Metzner started selling tires in the area in 1920 and expanded his business here. The corporation was scheduled for dissolution in 1936 (along with many other companies in the city) for failure to pay taxes. There are few records of the company thereafter.

By the early 1960s, Thornton Laboratories opened a lab here and added additional square footage. They reportedly did atomic energy research at this location. The world was still reeling from the use of atomic weapons in World War II, and efforts were being made to use the force for energy generation, private industry, and medicine. Thornton did other types of chemical testing here as well. The company name is still prominently listed on the building. Close to the once thriving Central Avenue District, the area is seeing vast revitalization with the new Encore housing development unfolding directly across Cass Street.

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