J. K. Gill Company
The J.K. Gill Building in 2015
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Formerly called
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Gill and Steel, Gill and Yeaton |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Publishing, Office supplies, books and school supplies |
| Founded | 1867 |
| Founder | Joseph K. Gill |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, United States |
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Number of employees
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500 (1980) |
The J.K. Gill Company, also known as J.K. Gill and Gill's, was an office supply company specializing in books and school supplies, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company existed for about 130 years. Operating mainly in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington, the company at its peak employed over 500 and had retail stores in four western states, including California and Arizona.
While teaching in 1866 at Willamette University under the supervision of Thomas Milton Gatch, recent graduate Joseph K. Gill purchased a school supply company in Salem, Oregon. In 1868 Gill built a new, larger store with partner C.F. Yeaton in Salem, and in 1870 he sold his business to Yeaton and moved to Portland. There he formed a partnership with George A. Steel and purchased the Harris and Holeman stationery store at the corner of Front and Washington Streets. Gill and Steel marketed a variety of books and office supplies. The company moved in the mid-1870s, opening at First and Oak to be near the Ladd and Tilton Bank at First and Stark. Steel retired in 1878, and the firm was renamed J.K. Gill and Company. The company briefly split its wholesale and retail operations, remaining at First and Oak under the name W.B. Ayer and Co. and opening the J.K. Gill wholesale warehouse near the Skidmore Fountain. In 1888 the two branches of the company were reunited under the name J.K. Gill, and in 1893 the company moved to the former Masonic Lodge at Third and Alder.
In 1922 the company began construction of a new headquarters at Fifth and Stark under the direction of architects Sutton & Whitney. Estimated cost of the eight-story building was $300,000, and total cost including land and furnishings was about $600,000. At that time, J.K. Gill was considered the largest distributor of books in the Pacific Northwest and the largest business of its kind in any city in the United States the size of Portland.
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