Over a century of history
Once the largest Pajama Factory in the world, this building has gone through a lot of transformation over the years.
A Brief
Overview
The Pajama Factory was built between 1883 and 1919 by the Lycoming Rubber Company, a subsidiary of the U.S. Rubber Company—one of the largest manufacturers of rubber goods in the U.S. The Lycoming division made tennis shoes, KEDS sneakers, gym and yachting shoes, as well as some miscellaneous rubber-related products.
After 1932, the Rubber Company moved out due to a drastic decline in product demand and the Weldon Pajama Company leased space in the building beginning in 1934 and purchased the entire complex in 1951.
It became the largest pajama factory in the world. In fact, the factory was scouted and used as a model for the 1950s Broadway musical (and later the movie), “The Pajama Game,” starring Doris Day. In the 1980s, the complex was renamed “Raytown and housed restaurants, a nightclub, and a country line dancing venue—amongst other things until the current owners purchased the buildings.
