OpenLLM-France/wikimedia huggingface dataset:
# Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center

Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center is a historic farm site in Socorro, Texas, that served orphaned children and homeless adults of mostly Hispanic descent. The farm was created in 1915, as the El Paso Poor Farm. During the Great Depression the population grew and a variety of public welfare programs became available to farm residents. During this time through World War II, the farm was renamed Rio Vista and large numbers of neglected children were housed there. From 1950 to 1964 the farm served as a processing center for the Bracero Program which brought Mexicans to the United States as guest agricultural workers. The site was the first permanent reception center for braceros.
Rio Vista Farm took on a new role when part of it became a training academy for the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. After that time, the building which had been the farm's main building became The Rio Vista Recreation Center while most of the rest of the farm went unused and its buildings began to deteriorate. In 2015, it was added to the Preservation Texas' list of endangered places.
It was named a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, on December 11, 2023. The Rio Vista Farm buildings and surrounding fields in Socorro, TX are included in the Historic Landmark district. In September 2024, Socorro’s City Council approved funding to build a bracero museum on the site. Along with building a museum facility, the city plans to raise $35 million to complete the restoration project to restore buildings on the site which have fallen into disrepair. This project has already received about $1 million from Congress and a $750,000 Mellon Foundation grant.
# Schlect House

The Schlect House is a Shingle Style house at 5804 West Race Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The house was built in 1887 by Fredrick R. Schlock for his aunt Catherine Schlect. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on January 20, 1999.
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks added a historical marker near this home in honor of four Schock-designed homes in the Austin neighborhood.
# Serbian American Museum

Serbian American Museum also known as Serbian American Museum St. Sava was a Chicago based museum which was situated at the historic Daniel O. Hill House at Barry avenue Chicago. The Museum ceased to operate in the year 2016.

## History

The building Daniel O. Hill House was designed by architect Frederick Wainwright Perkins in 1906. He initially designed the building for Silk merchant Daniel O. Hill. The mansion started to operate as Chicago's Serbian American Museum in the year 1952 under the name Serbian Cultural Club. The Serbian Cultural Club was founded by Dr. Slobodan Draskovic. In 2011, Serbian Cultural Club was renamed as Serbian American Museum St. Sava, "dedicated to protecting and promoting the history and culture of Serbians through a variety of undertakings." Over the time, the museum has exhibited many exclusive exhibitions specifically focusing on Serbian-American cultural heritage which includes Monastery of Hilandar, Royal Exhibits of Serbian Royal family of Karadjordjevic, Nikola Tesla.
The museum ceased to operate after the building was auctioned for sale in 2016. As per the last board secretary of the non profit organization that runs the museum, the primary reason for the discontinuation of the museum was pecuniary conditions and the distance from of the museum from the area where most Serbian-Americans are settled in Chicago. With the aim to protect the historical significance, The Chicago Commission on Landmarks granted the protected status to the Serbian American Museum building.
# Tree Studio Building and Annexes

The Tree Studio Building and Annexes was an artist colony established in Chicago, Illinois in 1894 by Judge Lambert Tree and his wife, Anne Tree.

## Origin

Tree arranged to have the original Tree building constructed in 1894, designed by the architecture firm of Parfitt Brothers. The building is constructed with steel frames and is three stories high. The ground level is covered in a cast iron arcade and designed as storefronts, while the second story is covered in a Roman brick and is designed to serve as artist studios with large windows to allow natural light to enter.
Tree created a legal trust which stipulated that only artists could live in Tree Studios. This trust remained in force until 1959 when the complex was sold to the Medinah Temple, with which the studio complex shared a block.

## Notable artists

Some of the studio's residents have included sculptors Albin Polasek, his student John David Brcin, John Storrs, and Nancy Cox-McCormack; illustrator J. Allen St. John; muralists Frances Badger, John Warner Norton and Louis Grell; painters Scott Shellstrom,William Carr Olendorf,Ruth VanSickle Ford, Robert Wadsworth Grafton, James Murray Haddow, Antonin Sterba, James J. Ingwersen, John Doctoroff, Gus Likan, Richard Florsheim, Leopold Seyffert and Pauline Palmer, Carl Tolpo and Lily Tolpo; and actors Peter Falk and Burgess Meredith. Painter Indiana Gyberson was also a resident for some time, as was painter Anna Lynch.

## 2000 World Monuments Watch

The studios and temple were included in the 2000 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund, after citizens became concerned that the complex would be demolished and a high rise tower constructed in its place. With support from the financial services company American Express WMF awarded a grant toward the preparation of an architectural significance survey and a feasibility study for the site. The results of the significance survey led to the sites being designated as Chicago landmarks.

## Restoration and historic landmark

Restoration of the property was guided by Albert Friedman, who purchased the property in 2001, following which construction workers and artisans labored side-by-side, rebuilding Tree Studios by hand. Architectural details were re-created from surviving fragments in on-site woodworking shops.
The State Street building was listed as a Chicago Landmark on February 26, 1997. The Ohio Street and Ontario Street annexes and courtyard were added as Chicago Landmarks on June 27, 2001. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 16, 1974.
# Gummadi Sandhya Rani

Gummadi Sandhya Rani is an Indian politician from Andhra Pradesh. She is a member of Telugu Desam Party. She has been elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly representing the Salur Assembly constituency in the erstwhile Vizianagaram district that is renamed as Parvathipuram Manyam district. She won the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election. In June 2024, she was inducted into the Fourth N. Chandrababu Naidu ministry.

## Early life and education

Sandhya Rani is from Salur, Vizianagaram district. She married Jayakumar. She is a science graduate.

## Political career

Sandhya Rani first contested from the Salur Assembly Constituency in the erstwhile Vizianagaram district in the 2009 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election but lost to Rajanna Dora Peedika of Indian National Congress by a narrow margin of 1,656 votes. She won from the same seat in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election on TDP ticket defeating Peedika Rajanna Dhora of YSRCP by a margin of 13,733 votes.
# List of covered bridges in Iowa

Below is a list of covered bridges in Iowa. There are nine authentic covered bridges in the U.S. state of Iowa, though two halves of one bridge reside in different locations. Six of them are historic. A covered bridge is considered authentic not due to its age, but by its construction. An authentic bridge is constructed using trusses rather than other methods such as stringers, a popular choice for non-authentic covered bridges.

## Bridges

| Name | County | Location | Built | Length | Crosses | Ownership | Truss | Notes |
| Cedar Covered Bridge | Madison | Winterset 41°21′54″N 93°59′25″W﻿ / ﻿41.36500°N 93.99028°W﻿ / 41.36500; -93.99028﻿ (Cedar Covered Bridge) | 2019 | 76 feet (23 m) | Cedar Creek | | Town and queen | Also called Casper Covered Bridge; replaces bridge built in 1883 and rebuilt in 2004; first two bridges were destroyed by arson |
| Cutler–Donahoe Bridge | Madison | Winterset 41°19′52″N 94°0′31″W﻿ / ﻿41.33111°N 94.00861°W﻿ / 41.33111; -94.00861﻿ (Cutler–Donahoe Bridge) | 1871, 1970 | 79 feet (24 m) | Ditch | City of Winterset | Town | |
| Hammond Bridge | Marion | Hamilton 41°10′39″N 93°0′50″W﻿ / ﻿41.17750°N 93.01389°W﻿ / 41.17750; -93.01389﻿ (Hammond Bridge) | 1894 | 80 feet (24 m) | North Cedar Creek | County of Marion | Howe | |
| Hogback Covered Bridge | Madison | Winterset 41°23′9″N 94°3′0″W﻿ / ﻿41.38583°N 94.05000°W﻿ / 41.38583; -94.05000﻿ (Hogback Covered Bridge) | 1884 | 106 feet (32 m) | North River | County of Madison | Town | |
| Holliwell Covered Bridge | Madison | Winterset 41°19′21″N 93°57′33″W﻿ / ﻿41.32250°N 93.95917°W﻿ / 41.32250; -93.95917﻿ (Holliwell Covered Bridge) | 1880 | 113 feet (34 m) | Middle River | County of Madison | Town | |
| Imes Covered Bridge | Madison | St. Charles 41°17′18″N 93°47′56″W﻿ / ﻿41.28833°N 93.79889°W﻿ / 41.28833; -93.79889﻿ (Imes Covered Bridge) | 1870, 1887, 1977 | 81 feet (25 m) | Brook | County of Madison | Town | Also called King Bridge |
| Marysville Covered Bridge | Marion | Knoxville 41°18′59″N 93°7′33″W﻿ / ﻿41.31639°N 93.12583°W﻿ / 41.31639; -93.12583﻿ (Wilcox Game Preserve Covered Bridge) | 1870, moved 1970 | 41 feet (12 m) | Ravine | | Town | Split from Wilcox Game Preserve Bridge in 1970 |
| Owens Covered Bridge | Polk | Allen 41°32′25″N 93°33′35″W﻿ / ﻿41.54028°N 93.55972°W﻿ / 41.54028; -93.55972﻿ (Owens Covered Bridge) | 1866 | 100 feet (30 m) | Yeader Creek | | Howe | |
| Roseman Covered Bridge | Madison | Winterset 41°17′31″N 94°9′5″W﻿ / ﻿41.29194°N 94.15139°W﻿ / 41.29194; -94.15139﻿ (Roseman Covered Bridge) | 1883 | 107 feet (33 m) | Middle River | County of Madison | Town | Also called Oak Grove Bridge |
| Wilcox Game Preserve Covered Bridge | Marion | Liberty 41°14′9″N 92°57′6″W﻿ / ﻿41.23583°N 92.95167°W﻿ / 41.23583; -92.95167﻿ (Wilcox Game Preserve Covered Bridge) | 1870, moved 1970 | 40 feet (12 m) | Ravine | | Town | Split from Marysville Bridge in 1970 |
# Perakas Rajaram

Perakas Rajaram (also known as R. Perakas) is a Malaysian film director, producer, writer and actor. He is well known for directing highly acclaimed Malaysia Tamil film Vennira Iravuggal. He also played a minor role in Jagat.

## Filmography

As Director :

### Movie

| Year | Movie | Language | Notes |
| 2014 | Vennira Iravuggal | Tamil | Malaysian Kalai Ulagam Awards 2015 - Best Director International Tamil Film Academy - Best Movie |
| 2014 | Un Pol Yarrum Illai | Tamil | |
| 2015 | Royal Guill Mask | Burmese | |
| 2018 | Tasay Par Lar Pyi | Burmese | |
| 2019 | Hero | Burmese | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Language | TV Channels | Notes |
| 2006 | Manasum Manasum | Tamil | TV2 | |
| 2006 | Deepavali Bonus | Tamil | TV2 | Deepavali special telemovie |
| 2006 | Manggai | Tamil | TV2 | Women's magazine programme |
| 2006 | China Chinna Deepavali | Tamil | TV2 | Telemovie |
| 2007 | Cahaya Permata | Bahasa Malaysia | TV1 | Women's magazine programme |
| 2007 | Budaya Kita Warisan Kita | Bahasa Malaysia | TV1 | 13-episode documentary |
| 2007 | Isai Malai | Tamil | TV2 | Musical programme |
| 2007 | Vanakam Malaysia | Tamil | TV2 | Documentary |
| 2007 | Rentak Bollywood | Bahasa Malaysia Hindi | TV2 | Musical programme |
| 2009 | Maunamane Neram | Tamil | TV2 | |
| 2009 | 1 Pagar | Bahasa Malaysia | TV3 | Telemovie |
| 2010 | Vaarthai Illai | Tamil | TV2 | Telemovie |
| 2012 | Ennaggal | Tamil | TV2 | Telemovie |
| 2012 | Ram VCD | Tamil | TV2 | Telemovie |
| 2012 | Aiyo Innoru Pei Padama | Tamil | TV2 | Telemovie |
| 2016 | Travelogue Diary | English | TV1 | Travelogue / documentary |
| 2020 | Yaar Avan | Tamil | Astro Vinmeen HD | |

#### As Actor

* 2015 - Jagat

## Award

* Malaysian Kalai Ulagam Awards for Best Director.
# USS Bradley

USS Bradley (FF-1041) was the second of ten 2,620-ton Garcia-class destroyer escorts, later reclassified as frigates, in the United States Navy. She was named for Captain Willis Winter Bradley Jr. She was later sold into the Brazilian Navy as Pernambuco (D 30).

## As Bradley

Bradley was laid down at San Francisco, California on 17 January 1963, launched on 26 March 1964, sponsored by Sue Worthington Bradley, and commissioned on 15 May 1965.
Her first deployment to the Western Pacific between July and December 1966 included four months of gunfire support along the coast of South Vietnam and carrier escort duty in the Gulf of Tonkin. In February 1967 Bradley received the prototype destroyer installation of the Sea Sparrow Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS). After intensive trials between May and September, the system was removed in September.
Bradley commenced her second deployment to Southeast Asia in December 1967 but was diverted to the Sea of Japan in response to the North Korean capture of USS Pueblo as part of Operation Formation Star. In March she resumed carrier escort and gunfire support duties off South Vietnam. After a final tour on the gun line in June, during which she fired 3,247 rounds in 10 days from her two 5-inch/38 guns, she returned to San Diego, California in July 1968. Her first regular overhaul between October 1968 and May 1969 featured a major upgrade to her AN/SQS 26AXR sonar and extensive work on her two temperamental pressure-fired boilers. Bradley's third deployment featured a gun line tour in January 1970, surveillance of the Soviet Navy's worldwide "Okean" exercise in April, and more carrier escort and gunfire support duty lasting into June. During the next five years Bradley conducted three additional deployments to Southeast Asia, interrupted by a second regular overhaul in 1971–72.
In June 1975 Bradley began a year-long overhaul which included the enlargement of her helicopter hangar. In July 1975 she was reclassified from escort ship (DE) to frigate (FF). After trials in mid-1976, Bradley conducted two more deployments, each of which included lengthy operations in the Indian Ocean, before entering the shipyard in mid-1979 for another one-year overhaul. Repeating this pattern, she conducted another two deployments, this time ranging between Korea and Malaysia, before starting another year-long overhaul in mid-1983, primarily to remedy boiler problems. The ship made one more Western Pacific deployment between mid-1986 and January 1987 and a Northern Pacific cruise in May–June 1988 before decommissioning on 30 September 1988.

## Brazilian service

In September 1989 Bradley was leased to Brazil at San Diego and became the destroyer Pernambuco (D 30). She was stricken from the U.S. Navy and sold outright to Brazil in January 2001. She remained active in the Brazilian Navy into her 39th year afloat, having participated at sea in seven exercises between early 2001 and early 2003. On 11 March 2004, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve.
# Te with descender

The Cyrillic script :
Slavic letters :
| А | А̀ | А̂ | А̄ | Ӑ | Ӓ | Б | В |
| Г | Ґ | Д | Ђ | Ѓ | Е | Ѐ | Е̂ |
| Е̄ | Ё | Є | Є́ | Ж | З | З́ | Ѕ |
| И | І | І́ | Ї | Ꙇ | Ѝ | И̂ | Ӣ |
| Й | Ӥ | Ј | К | Л | Љ | М | Н |
| Њ | О | О̀ | О̂ | О̄ | Ӧ | П | Р |
| С | С́ | Т | Ћ | Ќ | У | У̀ | У̂ |
| Ӯ | Ў | Ӱ | Ф | Х | Ц | Ч | Џ |
| Ш | Щ | Ꙏ | Ъ | Ъ̀ | Ы | Ь | Ѣ |
| Э | Ю | Ю̀ | Я | Я̀ | ʼ | ˮ | |
Non-Slavic letters :
| А̊ | А̃ | Ӓ̄ | Ӕ | Ә | Ә́ | Ә̃ | Ӛ |
| В̌ | Ԝ | Г̑ | Г̇ | Г̣ | Г̌ | Г̂ | Г̆ |
| Г̈ | Г̊ | Ҕ | Ғ | | Ӻ | Ғ̌ | Ғ̊ |
| Ӷ | Г̡ | Д́ | Д̌ | Д̈ | Д̣ | Д̆ | Ӗ |
| Е̃ | Ё̄ | Є̈ | Ԑ | Ԑ̈ | Җ | Ӝ | Ӂ |
| Ж̣ | Ҙ | Ӟ | З̌ | З̣ | З̆ | Ӡ | И̃ |
| И̇ | Ҋ | Қ | Ӄ | Ҡ | Ҟ | Ҝ | К̣ |
| К̊ | Қ̊ | Ԛ | ᴫ | Л́ | Ӆ | Ԯ | Ԓ |
| Л̈ | Ӎ | ᵸ | Н́ | Ӊ | Ң | Ԩ | Ӈ |
| Ҥ | О̆ | О̃ | Ӧ̄ | Ө | Ө̄ | Ө́ | Ө̆ |
| Ӫ | Ԥ | П̈ | Р̌ | Ҏ | С̌ | Ҫ | С̣ |
| С̱ | Т́ | Т̈ | Т̌ | Т̇ | Т̣ | Ҭ | Ᲊ |
| У̃ | У̌ | Ӳ | У̊ | Ӱ̄ | Ұ | Ү | Ү́ |
| Х̣ | Х̱ | Х̮ | Х̑ | Х̌ | Ҳ | Ӽ | Х̊ |
| Ӿ | Ӿ̊ | Һ | Һ̈ | Ԧ | Ц̌ | Ц̈ | Ҵ |
| Ҷ | Ҷ̣ | Ӵ | Ӌ | | Ҹ | Ч̇ | Ч̣ |
| Ҽ | Ҿ | Ш̣ | ꚜ | Ы̆ | Ы̄ | Ӹ | ꚝ |
| Ҍ | Ҩ | Э̆ | Э̄ | Э̇ | Ӭ | Ӭ́ | Ӭ̄ |
| Ю̆ | Ю̈ | Ю̄ | Я̆ | Я̄ | Я̈ | Ӏ | |
Archaic or unused letters :
А̨Б̀Б̣Б̱В̀Г̀Г̧Г̄Г̓Г̆Ҕ̀Ҕ̆ԀД̓Д̀Д̨ԂꚀꙢЕ̇Е̨Ж̀Ж̑ꙂꙄЏ̆ꚄꚄ̆ꙀЗ̀З̑ԄԆꚈԪꚂꚔІ̂І̣І̨Ј̵Ј̃ꙈК̓К̀К̆Ӄ̆К̑К̇К̈К̄ԞК̂Л̀ԠꙤԈЛ̑Л̇ԔМ̀М̃ꙦН̀Н̄Н̧Н̃ԊԢН̡ѺꙨꙪꙬꙮꚘꚚП̓П̀П́ҦП̧П̑ҀԚ̆Р́Р̀Р̃ԖС̀С̈ԌҪ̓Т̓Т̀ԎТ̑ꚊТ̧ꚌꚌ̆ѸꙊУ̇У̨ꙋ́Ф̑Ф̓Х́Х̀Х̆Х̇Х̧Х̾Х̓һ̱ѠꙌѼѾꙠЦ̀Ц́Ц̓ꚎꚎ̆ꚐЧ́Ч̀Ч̆Ч̑Ч̓ԬꚒꚆꚆ̆Ҽ̆Ш̀Ш̆Ш̑Щ̆ꚖꚖ̆Ъ̄Ъ̈Ъ̈̄ꙐЫ̂Ы̃Ѣ́Ѣ̈Ѣ̆ꙒЭ̨Э̂ꙔЮ̂ꙖЯ̈Я̂Я̨ԘѤѦꙘѪꙚѨꙜѬѮѰѲѴѶꙞ :
List of Cyrillic letters
List of Cyrillic multigraphs :
vte :
Te with descender (Ҭ ҭ; italics: Ҭ ҭ) is a letter of the Cyrillic script. Its form is derived from the Cyrillic letter Te (Т т Т т) by the addition of a descender to the leg of the letter.
Te with descender is used only in the alphabet of the Abkhaz language, where it represents the aspirated voiceless alveolar plosive /tʰ/, like the pronunciation of ⟨t⟩ in "tick".

## Computing codes

Character information :
| Preview | Ҭ | Ҭ | ҭ | ҭ |
| Unicode name | CYRILLIC CAPITAL LETTER TE WITH DESCENDER | CYRILLIC CAPITAL LETTER TE WITH DESCENDER | CYRILLIC SMALL LETTER TE WITH DESCENDER | CYRILLIC SMALL LETTER TE WITH DESCENDER |
| Encodings | decimal | hex | dec | hex |
| Unicode | 1196 | U+04AC | 1197 | U+04AD |
| UTF-8 | 210 172 | D2 AC | 210 173 | D2 AD |
| Numeric character reference | &#1196; | &#x4AC; | &#1197; | &#x4AD; |
# Baltasar Mena Iniesta

Baltasar Mena Iniesta (born 1942) is a Spanish-born Mexican mechanical engineer specialized in Rheology. He has been laureated with Mexico's National Prize for Arts and Sciences (1997), UNESCO Science Prize (2001), and has chaired both the International Committee on Rheology (1984–88) and the Mexican Society of Rheology (1976–97).
Mena graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, 1964); specialized in Fluid Mechanics at the University of Toulouse (France, 1967); and earned both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Brown University (United States, 1969–1973), where he also received the Brown Engineering Alumni Medal in 2000.
He has developed several patents, including an oscillatory die for polymer extrusion used by the henequen industry in the Yucatan Peninsula and an hexagonal solar-powered grain elevator used in Mexico, India and Southeast Asia. According to UNESCO, such design has saved millions of dollars yearly by preventing post-harvest losses.
Aside from his academic activities, Mena is also a veteran rock musician, having toured since 1959 with Los Sonámbulos, Los Sinners and Tequilas. Since 1976 he is the lead singer and guitarist of Naftalinas, a band with seven albums and over a hundred live performances.
# Ain Diab

Ain Diab (Arabic: عين الذئاب, romanized: a'ayn a-thia'āb) is a neighborhood located at the Corniche of Casablanca, Morocco. The neighborhood is affluent and famous for the fashionable stretch of coastline known as the Corniche. There are numerous hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and Lalla Meryem Beach and Ain Diab Beach. There is also the ribat and island of Sidi Abderrahman, which is now connected to the mainland by bridge.
Ain Diab hosted a round of the Formula One World Championship in 1958. Amongst the notable residents is the British-born writer Tahir Shah.
The first McDonald's franchise in Africa and in the Arab world opened on Ain Diab in 1992.
# List of covered bridges in Madison County, Iowa

Below is a list of covered bridges in Madison County, Iowa.
There are only six extant bridges in Madison County.
* Cedar Covered Bridge
* Cutler–Donahoe Bridge
* Hogback Covered Bridge
* Holliwell Covered Bridge
* Imes Bridge
* Roseman Covered Bridge

## Gallery

* Cedar
* Cutler–Donahoe
* Hogback
* Holliwell
* Imes
* Roseman
# Segment (handwriting)

A segment of handwriting is a piece of the pen-tip trajectory between two defined segmentation points. If the occurrence of a minimum in the absolute (tangential) velocity is used as a heuristic for segmentation, the pen-tip trajectory can be subdivided into segments corresponding to ballistic strokes.
In handwriting recognition or optical character recognition, other terminologies may be used, such as the term glyph for a non-character (i.e.: sub character or multi-character) pattern.
* This typography-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
* v
* t
* e
# Mathias Wolf Farm

Mathias Wolf Farm is a historic home and farm located in Madison Township, Jefferson County, Indiana. The farmhouse was built about 1854, and is a 1+1⁄2-story, central passage plan, vernacular Gothic Revival style limestone dwelling. Also on the property are the contributing smokehouse, outhouse, transverse-frame barn, and shed.$^{:4–5}$
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
# Solax Studios

Solax Studios was an American motion-picture studio founded in 1910 by executives from the Gaumont Film Company of France. Alice Guy-Blaché, her husband Herbert, and a third partner, George A. Magie, established the Solax Company.
Guy-Blaché was artistic director and the director for many of the studio's films, while her husband Herbert managed production for the new company. They took over the studio Gaumont had built in Flushing, New York in 1908 for the production of Chronophone sound films, a venture which proved unsuccessful for Gaumont. Solax produced silent films in Flushing from October 1910 to the summer of 1912. Prospering, Solax invested more than $100,000 in a modern production plant in 1912 in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which had become the center of America's first motion picture industry.
This was a time when the American film industry was rapidly changing from little more than a scientific curiosity to an important sector of the economic engine driving the economy. In this environment, Solax was conceived as an all-in-one operation with its own film processing laboratory and state of the art stages built under a glass roof. In addition to administrative offices, production facilities included dressing rooms, a set-fabrication workshop, and a costume-design department with a sewing room.
In 1912, the studio made a short film titled A Fool and His Money, directed by Guy-Blaché. It is believed to be the first film ever made with an all-African-American cast. The film is now at the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute.
Metro Pictures (now MGM) began its business life in 1916 primarily as a distributor of successful Solax films. Several emerging stars appeared in Solax films including Lionel and Ethel Barrymore, Claire Whitney, Olga Petrova, and Billy Quirk.
In between their own productions, the Blachés leased the studios to other production companies such as the Goldwyn Picture Corporation and Selznick International Pictures. However, Solax and the rest of the East Coast film industry rapidly declined throughout the 1920s as a result of the phenomenal growth of motion-picture facilities in Hollywood, California that offered lower costs and a climate that accommodated year-round filming.
Inadequate firefighting methods resulted in the destruction of Solax Film Laboratories in Fort Lee, New Jersey in 1919.