B. F. Sturtevant Company

The company was founded in 1860 in Boston by inventor Benjamin Franklin Sturtevant (1833–1890); the plant was located near the present Government Center area.

The process created much sawdust, and Sturtevant invented a mechanical fan that was effective at keeping the work area sawdust-free.

In 1879, Sturtevant supplied the USS Alliance with mechanical draft fans that improved fuel efficiency so much that Navy ships were able to retire their back-up sail systems.

The company had expanded into industrial ventilation, heating, air conditioning, dust and fume removal, power, drying and vacuum cleaning.

Its Inlet Vane Control system, introduced in 1927, adjusted to load requirements, allowing simpler motors and reducing power consumption.

The new owners reconstructed and modernized the Hyde Park facilities in 1946, but in 1954 Westinghouse moved the air conditioning business to Virginia, and Sturtevant Boston returned to its roots as an industrial fan manufacturer.