Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Condensing Units – Commercial
Among the proliferation of refrigeration machine manufacturer in the explosive market years of the mid 20th century, a few uniquely Ontario, entrepreneurial, family companies stood out, including the Gilson and Woods companies of Guelph and Robert Elder of Toronto. This I/4 HP, unsophisticatedly engineered machine by Gilson would help establish them as a kind of venerated cultural icon of the period, in rural and small town Ontario, Gilson, 1954.
Industrial Significance:
The mid 20th century, prior to the advent of increasingly complex closed-system, hermetic machines, was characterised by relatively simple system technology. It was a period that saw many new manufacturers who were largely assemblers of components provided by other OEM’s. This allowed small family companies many the offshoot of Canada’s early years of industrialisation, often with modest engineering resources, to move into the refrigeration machine and equipment business.
