This structure was built in 1892 by local enterprise, Shaw Piano
Company. In 1890, Congressman Matthew Griswold, of the family who owned
Griswold Manufacturing Company, organized Shaw Pianos. Griswold was
president, while his son, Matthew Jr., was vice president. The company
was originally located at 1124 Peach Street, but relocated to the
factory at 12th and Raspberry streets in 1892 when this building was
constructed. The Shaw Piano Company filed bankruptcy in 1901, and local
cast-iron corporation, Griswold Manufacturing Company, moved into the
building in 1903. However, the “Shaw Piano Company” name was not
painted over, and is still visible on the 12th Street façade. Griswold
Manufacturing Co. remained at this location until 1957, when it was
purchased by the Cohen family.
Harold Cohen owned and operated his company, Cost Plus Office
Furnishings, from this location until the mid-1990s. Cost Plus moved to
a block of West 18th Street before the business was sold in 2001. A
sign boasting the family name “Cohen” is visible from the 12th Street
entrance. Carrara Steel purchased the building in 2003, yet the
structure remained vacant. A decade later, developers from Crawford
County, Greg Sutterlin and Steve Popovich, purchased the property with
intentions to revamp the dilapidating structure. The partners operate
under the company name, Horrifying Productions LLC, and have developed
the property into a haunted house attraction. The exterior of the
structure was repaired and graffiti was removed, yet looks untouched to
maintain a “haunted house” appearance. In 2013, the haunted house
opened as “Eeriebyss Factory of Terror.” Three years later, this
attraction remains open to visitors from October 2 to November 1, and
features a haunting maze that spans two floors of the four-story
building.
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