Gustav Baumhoefer

Gustav Baumhoefer was a German entrepreneur born March 17, 1906 in Hesselteich, in Westphalia, died January 24, 1979 in Versmold.

Firma Gustav Baumhöfer

Main building and extension of "Firma Gustav Baumhoefer"

After WWII already on June 15 1945, Gustav Baumhoefer founded in his home town Versmold a shoe factory that was specialized on men's shoes and boots. First producing on the premisses of the Metall und Leder company a new main building with a factory hall was set up in 1949. The brand name was "Ravensberger Schuhe" and became widely known. In 1957 he expanded briefly by acquiring a second production facility as separate company in Werl-Aspe, Schoetmar, today Bad Salzuflen. In the late 1970s due to changes in the world market and an increasing import of shoes, the company became unprofitable. A year after his death the factory was shut down, and only a shoe retail shop originally connected with the factory continued to operate until the 1990s.

The factory's main building from 1949 and its later extension of a sewing hall from the 1960s are still standing in Versmold, but currently used for other purposes. Its architecture is almost the last surviving witness for the city's proud economic blossoming after WWII. In March 2015 it was announced that the main building and factory hall of 'Baumhoefer' will be used as a mass dorm for asylum applicants. This will cause serious interventions into the historical substance.

References

• Vinke, Wilhelm, Versmold – Ein Volks- und Heimatbuch, Amtsverwaltung, 1962, pp. 208–209.
• Vinke, Wilhelm, 250 Jahre Stadt Versmold 1719–1969, Stadt Versmold, 1969, p. 102.