110 Business View Magazine - September 2016
following World War II, and forged parts for other man-
ufacturers in the 1950s. Starting in the late 1940s, the
company experimented with barbeque grills. It sold its
first “Charbroil” grill in 1953. “It shut down in the early
‘70s,” says Bevans. “The Bradley Company moved its
operation to a new plant on the other side of town and
sold this site to the City of Columbus, which decided to
repurpose the building as a convention center.”
In 1977, the city began converting the Iron Works
with $8 million in funds provided by a local beverage
tax and federal grant money. Architects and planners
