Delano’s first nationally recognized manufacturer was the world’s largest granite memorial retailer by 1944. They also expanded into granite exteriors for construction. The Delano Granite Works owned their own quarries, production facilities, and sales organization. What once was done almost entirely by hand evolved to the use of diamond and wire saws, machines for polishing, and flame burners for thermal texturing. During its time, it was the area’s largest employer, promoting and modeling civic involvement. The granite around Delano is a reminder of this legacy.
First being located in various places on River Street and ...
Bridge Avenue in the early years.
Bert Gilmer, at 23 was a young newly wed salesman in 1917, opened a small monument shop, hiring a man to do the cutting, while he went door-to-door selling memorials. That business grew to be the biggest retailer of monuments in the world.
In 1927, Bert Gilmer built a new plant along the Crow River’s edge, off of River (Main) Street.
~1930’s. Bert Gilmer's first expansion of his new plant added 2,000 sq. ft. of production space with newer granite cutting and polishing equipment, plus an enlarged office building to accommodate his rapidly growing monument business.
President Harry Truman writes thank you for Delano Granite Works created monument!
In 1953 the last major expansion of the Monumental Division with the addition of 50,000 sq.ft. of all glassed-in production space. (Energy conservation wasn’t an issue in those days). This expansion included a large, new state-of-the-art slab polishing line, multiple wire saws, and expanded sand-blast lettering department. Bert Gilmer’s home was converted to office and meeting space when he moved to Minneapolis.
Don Gilmer took over the business in 1956.
Their outdoor billboard advertising slogan was….
“Drive Carefully – We Can Wait.”
1965. (Aerial view) The last major building expansion. The new 25,000 sq. ft. “Butler Building” located to the far northwest end of the building was added to house the growing Structural Granite Division with new large format sawing and polishing equipment, "flame-texturing" system, plus added wire saws for cutting thin slabs and curved slabs.
In 1984 the Granite Works was closed.
Today the buildings house a number of smaller businesses and companies, including Kirby Vacuums and Electrical and Appliance Recycling.