Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
EAGLE WINDOW AND DOOR
EAGLE WINDOW AND DOOR. Major manufacturer in Dubuque. In 1967, while CARADCO was a major manufacturer in Dubuque, a group of investors in Cedar Falls, Iowa established a window distribution center called Caradco of Cedar Falls. With the intention of distributing Caradco windows to lumber yards in the area, the company grew to handle not only windows but residential doors, trim, and hardware. Caradco of Cedar Falls became the largest single location Caradco distributor in the United States.
When Caradco moved its office and manufacturing operations to Rantoul, Illinois, Caradco of Cedar Falls relocated its distribution center to Dubuque and occupied some of the vacant buildings left by Caradco. Delivery problems including lead time from ten to forty-two weeks gradually became a problem. With no improvement expected, the investors chose to terminate their relationship with Caradco. They began the design, manufacture, and marketing of a window line of their own.
The desire to produce a high-quality product with energy efficient features built-in became the goal and the introduction of Eagle Manufacturing and EAGLE windows. In 1977, Eagle Manufacturing produced its first aluminum clad wood casement window. The clad sliding patio door was introduced by 1980 and over the next six years, four more product lines were developed. Clad double-hung and skylight windows were introduced in 1985 with circle-tops, geometrics, and French doors added soon after.
The early 1980s were difficult economic times, and the company was sold to Masco Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, of Taylor, Michigan in September 1987. Eagle made substantial growth at this time. Broadening its distribution in North America and Japan, the company tripled its product breadth by introducing new products including French sliding doors, entry doors, bi-parting doors, radius casements, ellipticals, and a full line of all-wood windows and doors. In 1984, through a reorganization of the parent company, Eagle Window was placed in the architectural division of Masco Industries (later renamed MascoTech, Inc.
In 1996, Eagle Window and Door was sold in a transaction between Masco and American Commercial Holdings, Inc. The company was transferred to the newly formed American Architectural Products, Inc. This was soon merged with Forte Computer Easy, Inc., a producer of commercial aluminum windows and Mallyclad, a custom steel laminator. The new company was called American Architectural Products Corporation headquartered in Boardman, Ohio. In 1998, Eagle Window and Door, Inc. continued to grow with modifications to wood casements and double hung, a new slide-by window, and a steel hinged patio door. The company employed an average of five hundred men and women.