Carter Carburetor Corporation

William Carter founded the company in 1909 after experimenting with carburetors while running a bicycle shop; his early cast-brass units were more precise than most competitors'. He sold to American Car and Foundry in 1922. At its peak, Carter Carburetor employed over 3,000 workers and supplied Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Chrysler, and Packard. During World War II it produced the YS waterproof carburetor for the Willys Jeep. It also introduced the first American four-barrel carburetor in 1952. The Spring Avenue complex grew to approximately 480,000 sq. ft. of interconnected manufacturing, testing, office, and warehouse buildings. Fuel injection displaced carburetors through the late 1970s–early 1980s; ACF closed the plant in 1984 and ceded the PCB- and TCE-contaminated property to the City of St. Louis a year later. After years of litigation, EPA reached a $35 million cleanup settlement with ACF Industries in 2013. Demolition began August 2015; the EPA declared cleanup complete in May 2020. The Boys & Girls Club of St. Louis now operates a youth golf and sports facility on the cleared site.