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The Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Sioux City, in the state of Iowa in the Midwestern United States, was built in 1918–19 as a speculative venture under the name Midland Packing Plant. After going into receivership, it was acquired by Swift & Co. in 1924, and continued to operate until 1974. It was then purchased by a Sioux City businessman and converted to an enclosed mall, the KD Stockyards Station. Fire and water damage in 2004 forced its closing, and the building was demolished in 2010. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. ==History== From 1917 to 1925, the convergence of several economic factors gave rise to a speculative bubble in meat-packing plants in the United States. Meat prices had risen significantly following the nation's entry into World War I, and it was believed that this increase had been produced by collusion among the major packers, who thus benefited from artificially high profits from the sale of meat products. In 1919, moreover, the market for Liberty Bonds declined, driving investors to seek better returns; meat production appeared to offer this. The combination of these factors led to a number of speculative and downright fraudulent ventures, in which independent packing operations were established, shares were sold to unwary investors, and much of the money was transferred to company officers and politicians, after which the operation went bankrupt.〔 Four such operations were established in Iowa, and developed to various degrees. The Associated Packing Company plant in Des Moines never progressed beyond the acquisition of a second-hand hog-scraping machine. The Farmers' Mutual Packing Company operation in Muscatine went so far as to acquire a used building and paint its name on the door. The Corn Belt Packing Company plant in Dubuque, in the quondam Dubuque Brewing and Malting Co. buildings, operated for three years before closing.〔 The Midland Packing Company in Sioux City was incorporated in 1918. A building in the Sioux City stockyards, designed by Chicago architectural firm Gardner and Lindberg, was constructed in 1918–19, at a cost estimated as $3 million. Packing operations begin in January 1920 and ceased in May 1920 when the plant went into receivership.〔〔 In 1921, Wilson & Co., a major Chicago meatpacker, took an option on the plant, but did not exercise it. In 1924, the facility was sold at auction for $623,000 to Swift & Co., then the largest meatpacker in the world. Swift re-opened the plant in March 1924.〔〔 In 1938–39, a strike closed the plant for 119 days. A second strike in 1948 left the plant idle for 67 days. In 1949, an underground gas leak led to an explosion that killed 21 people, injured 91, and produced property damage of $1 million. The plant was remodeled and rebuilt between 1950 and 1952. In 1953, the Floyd River flooded, extensively damaging the plant, along with the nearby Cudahy and Armour facilities, the railroad yards, and the stock pens.〔〔 Swift closed the facility in 1974, citing a design that did not meet current standards for packing plants. They moved their operations to a location south of the city, leaving much of the plant's equipment in place.〔〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Swift Packing Company building (Sioux City, Iowa)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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