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27-469: The tower was originally constructed as the Olds Tower , named after the automotive industrialist, Ransom Eli Olds , who was the main financier of the tower project, assisted by Edmund C. Shields of the local law firm of Thomas Shields & Silsbee. Shortly thereafter it was renamed Capital Bank Tower, after the bank that Ransom Eli Olds helped form. The cornerstone was laid on November 14, 1929 and

54-415: A patent held by Joseph Tilton. Stivers, a blacksmith and wheelwright, produced the runabouts in his carriage manufactory on East 31st Street, Manhattan, established in 1851. According to The Carriage Journal , The special feature of the runabout was that the body was hung low by using cranked axles , and the side-bars were attached to legs at the top of the crank. The original runabout was made without

81-413: A single row of seats, providing seating for two passengers. Some also had a rumble seat at the rear to provide optional seating for one or two more passengers; those without rumble seats may have had a trunk platform, a box, or a fuel tank instead. They differed from buggies and high wheelers mainly by having smaller wheels. Early runabouts had their engines under the body toward the middle of

108-473: A top, and, besides hanging low which made for steadiness, it was roomy and comfortable. Stivers patented the "runabout" name and threatened to sue other manufacturers for infringement. However, buggies titled "runabout" were produced by other manufacturers and soon applied to many different shapes without regard to the original meaning. The runabout was a light, inexpensive, open car with basic bodywork and no windshield, top, or doors. Most runabouts had just

135-563: A word. Sometimes it was spelled as "Reo" to emphasize this pronunciation. Olds served as president (until 1925) and later chairman of REO. The band REO Speedwagon took its name from the REO Speed Wagon light delivery truck, an ancestor of pickup trucks , though the band pronounces each letter in REO individually rather than pronouncing REO as a word. The Olds Motor Works was bought by General Motors in 1908. General Motors discontinued

162-441: Is located. Olds was also famous for his auto racing on the beaches of Florida at Ormond and Daytona . He had the first timed run on the beach in a solo run sometime between 1894 and 1897. In 1896 or 1897, rich automobile pioneers Olds and Alexander Winton ( Winton Motor Carriage Company ) staged an unofficial event; Winton beat Olds by 0.20 second. Olds was a Republican and served as a delegate from Michigan's 6th District to

189-463: Is occupied by a mix of office, retail, and government tenants. The two-story former banking lobby was used for several years as a hearing room for the Michigan Senate , but in late 2023 the lobby was converted to Senate offices. The sculpture on the building, including the doors, was created by Ulysses Ricci . Ransom Eli Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950)

216-456: The 1908 Republican National Convention , which nominated William Howard Taft for president. In the early 1900s, Olds built an elaborate Queen Anne-style mansion on South Washington Avenue in Lansing. Among the home's many technological innovations was a turntable in the garage which allowed Olds to pull in at night and leave again the next morning without driving in reverse. The mansion

243-486: The Olds Motor Works factory burned to the ground. Only one model, the little Curved Dash runabout , was saved from the flames. Ransom Olds claimed it was the fire that made him select the runabout, from among his many other models, to put into production. His biographer questions the veracity of this story. He points to an Olds advertising blitz that had already led to more than 300 Curved Dash orders even before

270-481: The Waldorf Astoria hotel but was turned away at the door. His mud-spattered attire was so disreputable that he was sent to the servants' entrance in back. During the auto show Olds pushed hard to make sales. When one dealer offered to purchase 500, Olds retorted, "I would like to see you make this order for a thousand cars. Then the public would drop its jaw and take notice." The deal was signed, and though

297-731: The Oldsmobile brand in 2004, after 107 years in business. In 1946, Ransom Olds started building lawnmowers as the Lawn Mower Division of REO motors. Olds was the first person to use a progressive moving assembly line in the automotive industry. Henry Ford came after him, and improved upon this by developing a continuously moving synchronous assembly line to manufacture his Model T starting in 1913. The new assembly approach enabled Olds to more than quintuple his factory's output, from 425 cars in 1901 to 2,500 in 1902. In 1916, Olds purchased 37,547 acres (152 km ) of land by

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324-497: The business, he and Olds clashed frequently until Fred Smith removed Olds from the position of vice president and general manager in 1904, and Olds left his company. He went on to form the R.E. Olds Motor Car Company. Its name was quickly changed to REO Motor Car Company to avoid a lawsuit from the Olds Motor Works. The name REO came from the initials of his name, but was intended to be an acronym , and thus pronounced as

351-584: The chassis . This sometimes made maintenance difficult, as on the Oldsmobile Curved Dash where the body had to be removed in order to access the engine. The Gale runabout dealt with this problem by hinging the body at the rear of the car such that it could be tilted to access the engine. Some later runabouts had the engine in what became the conventional position at the front of the car. Runabouts were popular in North America from

378-427: The dealer ended up selling only 750 to the public, it was the original number that everyone remembered. The Curved Dash Oldsmobile sold for $ 650, equal to $ 23,806 today. About 600 were sold in 1901, about 3,000 in 1902 and at least 4,000 in 1904. It was this car, rather than Henry Ford 's Model T , that was the first mass-produced, low-priced American motor vehicle. As Smith's son, Frederic L. Smith , came into

405-562: The family company, P.F. Olds & Son. The company built and sold some steam engines but made most of its money doing repair work. While in Lansing he also married Metta Ursula Woodward on June 5, 1889. He founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in Lansing, Michigan , on August 21, 1897. The company was bought by a copper and lumber magnate named Samuel L. Smith in 1899 and renamed Olds Motor Works. The new company

432-489: The fire took place. "Olds did not need the one rescued car from which to reconstruct the plans and patterns for the runabout." Later that year, Olds had his company's test driver, Roy Chapin , drive a Curved Dash runabout to the second annual New York Automobile Show . Along the way, Chapin opted to drive up onto the Erie Canal tow path to escape the mire of New York state roads. After eight days of driving, he reached

459-543: The horse-drawn runabout carriage . It was popular in North America from 1900 to about 1915. It was a light, basic style with no windshield, top, or doors and a single row of seats. Runabouts eventually became indistinguishable from roadsters and the term fell out of use in the United States. The approach has evolved into the modern " city car ". Runabouts originated as a type of horse and carriage body. In 1881, Rufus Meade Stivers produced runabout bodies using

486-629: The late 19th century to about 1915. They were designed for light use over short distances. By the mid-1910s, they became almost indistinguishable from roadsters . Notable examples of runabouts include the Oldsmobile Curved Dash mentioned earlier, which was the first mass-produced car, and the Cadillac runabout , which won the Dewar Trophy for 1908 by demonstrating its use of interchangeable parts . The 1964 GM Runabout

513-778: The northern part of Tampa Bay in Florida and developed the area into what is now the city of Oldsmar . He traded his land for the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida in 1926. In 1906, Olds organized the Capital National Bank, later called Lansing National Bank, and Michigan National Bank . Olds was also involved in the organization of the Michigan Screw Company and Atlas Drop Forge Company, all in Lansing, Michigan. Olds

540-568: The tower opened on April 6, 1931. It became the Michigan National Bank Tower in 1954, and held that name until 2001 when Standard Federal Bank purchased Michigan National Bank . At the request of Standard Federal, the owners of the tower removed the historic neon 'Michigan National' sign in that year. After four-and-a-half years without a name, the Boji family, a father and son development team of Iraqi descent who owned

567-527: The tower since 1998, renamed it the Boji Tower in 2005. The tower has been through one major expansion which occurred between 1965 and 1967, which include the addition of an 11-story annex built directly adjacent to the front of the tower. The tower has undergone multiple minor renovations since 1998 under the Boji Group's ownership. In November 2007, the building's original antenna tower for WITL-FM

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594-514: Was a pioneer of the American automotive industry , after whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. He claimed to have built his first steam car as early as 1887 and his first gasoline-powered car in 1896. The modern assembly line and its basic concept is credited to Olds, who used it to build the first mass-produced automobile, the Oldsmobile Curved Dash , beginning in 1901. Olds

621-508: Was born in Geneva, Ohio , the youngest son of blacksmith and pattern-maker Pliny Fiske Olds and his wife, Sarah Whipple Olds. He was of English descent, with origins in Dorset, England . His parents moved the family to Cleveland, Ohio , when Olds was still a boy. He eventually settled in Lansing, Michigan , where he attended high-school before dropping out so that he could work full-time at

648-533: Was demolished in 1966 to make way for Interstate 496 , which was then named for Olds himself. The architectural drawings of that house are in the archives of the State of Michigan. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1946. In 1992, the family's mausoleum was vandalized and remains were taken. Runabout (car) A runabout is a car body style popular in the 1910s, based on

675-417: Was relocated from Lansing to Detroit. Smith became president while Olds became vice president and general manager. By 1901 Olds had built 11 prototype vehicles, including at least one of each power mode: steam, electricity and gasoline. In 1934, he received a patent for a diesel engine. He was the only American automotive pioneer to produce and sell at least one of each mode of automobile. On March 9, 1901,

702-564: Was replaced via helicopter with a new antenna for WJZL (Now WLMI ). At 23 stories, and 297 feet (91 m), the brick and limestone-faced tower, with its tall, narrow profile topped with a spire and beacon, is a typical American skyscraper design of the Art Deco era of high-rise architecture. It includes four engraved panels in the portals of the main passenger elevators that reflect themes of labor and industry. The tower's facade consists of 654,000 bricks of 17 different colors. The building

729-642: Was the primary financier of the Olds Tower. When completed in 1931 it was the tallest office building in Lansing and retains that distinction today. Located at 124 West Allegan Street, the building is now called the Boji Tower . Olds was also involved in the Hotel Olds at 111 South Capitol Avenue in Lansing. Today this is known as the George W. Romney Building , where the office of the governor of Michigan

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