Solid metal anvil with name "Leitelt" carved into both sides.;Represents an early ironworks company that opened in 1862 and continued to maintain a successful business ever since. The company represents a local business that adapted to changing industries in Michigan.;"Leitelt";Adolph and Edward Leitelt founded the company in 1862 and it is still in operation today. The A. Leitelt and Brother Blacksmith and Machine Shop was located at 5 Erie Street, the site of the present day Devos Place Conference Center. By 1867 the brothers added a foundry and called themselves Valley City Iron Works. They made machinery for flour and saw mills. Eventually they added a boiler shop and began to manufacture steam boilers and fabricate structural iron. Over the years Leitelt has designed and built many specialized machines for the steel industry such as sheet pack turnovers and coil handling equipment. As the industry changes, Leitelt's focus became machinery repair, machining and fabrication services. The company has undergone changes in ownership and name as well as building location. After urban renewal of downtown Grand Rapids in the 1960s the company moved to it's current location on Turner Ave. NW. (From the Leitelt website).
