1900
A young Austrian man arrives on the shores of New York City. He is formally educated in mechanical and electrical engineering and, with big dreams and just $18 in his pocket, he’s come to the US to make his mark on the world. His name is Louie Schwitzer.
Louie’s first job was with the Holzer-Cabot company in Boston where he designed the first electro-magnetic hoist for United States battleships, and worked on such projects as generators for trans-atlantic cables. Louie was on track to be a big deal in the electrical field, but he had his sights on something more exciting: the newly-emerging automobile industry.
After a chance meeting with Howard Marmon in New York City, Louie was persuaded to move to Indianapolis, which was the epicenter for innovation and advancement of the automobile. He began as the designing engineer at Nordyke and Marmon Company where he was involved in the design of the famed “Yellow Jacket” engine.
1909
On August 19, 1909, a crowd of 15,000 people gathered at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to witness the inaugural weekend of auto racing. The drivers were not professional race car drivers, but rather inventors and engineers. Louie was among them.
Reaching an average speed of 57.4 miles per hour in his Stoddard-Dayton powered by a 4-cylinder, 212 cubic inch engine, Louie Schwitzer was the winner of that two-lap, five mile race - the first automobile race ever held at the motor speedway.
1911
Ray Harroun wins the first Indianapolis 500 on May 30th in a Marmon Wasp that sports Louie Schwitzer’s “Yellow Jacket” engine
1918
Louie Schwitzer forms the Schwitzer Cummins Company and locates it in an old wood mill located at the corner of 10th Street and Massachusetts Avenue - 1011 Mass Ave. The company would expand drastically in the coming decades and Louie would expand the facility many times to keep up. The resulting building, constructed in phases and eventually comprising more than 540,000 square feet, is now known as the Circle City Industrial Complex.
Schwitzer’s first product line was cooling fans. It may sound like a humble endeavor, but Louie understood that superior cooling fans would lead directly to the ability to increase engine size and power. Of course, better engines required even better cooling fans, better fans allowed for even better engines and on and on… This sounds like a vicious circle, but this ongoing battle soon made Louie and his tiny firm recognized leaders in engine cooling systems.
1928
Schwitzer launches its new product line: superchargers. Though this technology had been explored for many years, Louie refined and reached levels of precision with his superchargers that would pay handsomely in the coming decades.
During the Depression, Schwitzer again expanded their product line and entered the coal stoker business. His invention, “The Stokol”, which fed coal into furnaces, is considered one of the first forms of automatic heat for homes and businesses.
1940
During World War II, all of Schwitzer’s engineering and manufacturing skills were applied to the war effort. The knowledge of metal stamping left to the production of shell and cartridge cases. Schwitzer’s superchargers, oil and water pumps, and cooling fans were soon found on nearly every combat vehicle, PT boat, and submarine. The ventilating fans and stokers went into combat use for hospitals, mess halls, barracks, and warehouses. Schwitzer’s service during these war years was recognized by five Army-Navy “E” awards for excellence.
1967
Louie Schwitzer dies at the age of 87. Apart from his groundbreaking advances for the auto industry through his company, he was well known as a civic leader in Indiana, a founder of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, an aviation pioneer, himself one of the first pilots in Indiana, and a member of the Indianapolis Airport Authority. He also loved horses, founding the Indianapolis Hunt Club, an riding and jumping horses, himself. Throughout his life, he believed in strong education and his many contributions included large donations to Indiana Central College and Butler University. He more than repaid the community which had offered him the opportunity for success.
In 1970, Louie was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. To this day, the Louis H. Schwitzer Award for Design Innovation is presented annually after each running of the Indy 500.
His company lived on as a division of the Wallace Murray Corporation until it was eventually purchased by Borg Warner. Schwitzer Turbochargers are still produced and used widely around the world.
1990
After more than 70 years at Louie’s original factory, Schwitzer - now owned by automotive giant Borg Warner - shuts down operations at the Circle City Industrial Complex. In the following decades, the building would see a number of owners, but eventually fall into foreclosure and disrepair.
2015
Teagen Development purchases the ailing property and divides the building into two addresses - 1011 Mass Ave and 1125 Brookside Ave - collectively known as the Circle City Industrial Complex (CCIC). In subsequent years, Teagen tackles the decades of deferred maintenance and neglect at 1125 Brookside and fills spaces with artists, fabricators, and locally-owned businesses including a brewery and distillery. Today, 1125 Brookside is home to more than 150 tenants.
1011 Mass Ave, which was the original footprint of Louie’s factory and the oldest portion of the CCIC, was officially condemned and required complete redevelopment. Preserving it’s original architectural features such as the iconic sawtooth roofline, large warehouse windows, historical brick, and more, in 2019 Teagen began the process of restoring 1011 Mass Ave to create retail, restaurant, office, and event space.
