Empire Ceiling Panel Border Piece
name: label: maker
content: W. F. Norman Corporation
notes: label: Description
content: This is a stamped steel ceiling panel in the 'Empire' border design.
label: Description
content: It represents a form of interior ornamentation and a method of metal-pressing.
label: Description
content: This piece was manufactured by the W.F Norman Sheet Metal Manufacturing Company. It was founded by William Franklin Norman and John Berghauser in 1898.
label: Description
content: Norman’s tin ceilings were made in Nevada, Missouri until the late 1930s when they went out of style and steel materials were scarce during the ramping up for World War II. In order to stay in business, the company continuously made other sheet metal products unrelated to ceiling and ornamental sheet metal
label: Description
content: The business continued to run by descendants until 1978. It was believed that there were as many as two dozen similar type companies producing and manufacturing these stamped tin ceilings around the late 1800s and early 1900s. Only a few were prosperous enough to stay in business even though tin ceilings were a very popular building material during that time.
label: Description
content: Bob Quitno purchased the business from W.F. Norman’s grandson, Franklin Norman in 1978. The Quitno family owned and operated W. F. Norman Corporation for 47 years. In early 2025 the company was acquired by long-time employee, Jason Fleener, and his wife Tammy.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: made in
content: United States: Missouri
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Manufacturing
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: W.F. Norman Corporation (through Mark S. Quitno)
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1988.3044.01
label: catalog number
content: 1988.3044.01
label: nonaccession number
content: 1988.3044
label: accession number
content: 1988.3044
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Ceiling Panel
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 49 in x 24 in; 124.46 cm x 60.96 cm