Location
Baker Electric Building
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The Baker Electric Motor Car.
In 1909, the Baker Electric was the best selling electric vehicle in the world. The car was lighter than other electric cars and used twelve lead acid batteries designed by Thomas Edison who famously drove a Baker. In New York City, there were 15,000 on the streets and charging stations scattered throughout the area. Cleveland architect Frank B Meade designed the Baker Electric Building for Walter C Baker as his car showroom in 1910. Rohrheimer-Brooks, Cleveland’s top interior design studio, designed and decorated the showrooms and associated spaces. Faced with competition from gasoline-powered automobiles production ceased in 1919. The building was listed on the National Register for Historic Places in 2007 and was redeveloped into a LEED Silver certified tech incubator providing 52,000 square feet of office and wet/dry laboratory space for emerging local companies. In 2010, the city of Cleveland installed the city’s first public electric vehicle recharging station.
Here is a video with Jay Leno showing off the Baker Electric from his collection.
Speaker Biography:
Eric Rivet, Curator WRHS
Eric Rivet has been a Curator of Collections and Exhibits at the WRHS since 2015. His responsibilities include planning and installing exhibitions that highlight the rich and diverse history of the region. Previously, he was a Curator at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans and holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Louisiana State University.