Constructed in 1943 to contain the Borg Corporation’s Thomas B. Gibbs Company Division, the building was used as a manufacturing facility to produce war materiel during World War II. This included making mechanical time fuzes for anti-aircraft shells. The Gibbs Division developed a machine to manufacture adjusting nuts, which increased the rate of fuze production.

Borg Corporation’s wartime workforce consisted of a majority of women, as well as a number of deaf individuals (Wisconsin School for the Deaf has a long history in Delavan). To satisfy their need for workers, George W. Borg Corporation used twelve buses to daily transport employees to their plant from communities surrounding Delavan. Following the war, the company received commendations for their fuze development and production from Rear Admiral George F. Hussey, Jr., United States Navy, Chief of Bureau of Ordnance and Lieutenant General Levin H. Campbell, Jr., United States Army, Chief of Ordnance.

Peacetime brought a new use to the building, the production of textiles. Specifically, the Borg Fabric Division was formed to manufacture pile fabrics using synthetic fibers. After achieving initial success with paint roller coverings, Borg Fabric concentrated their production on fabrics that simulated the appearance of fur for the apparel industry. These fabrics included the company trademarks, Borgana and Borglura, which used Orlon, Dynel, and Darlan synthetic fibers in their manufacture. George W. Borg Corporation was a pioneer in the development of fur-like pile fabrics and the company received numerous patents for their equipment, fabrics and associated process of manufacture throughout the 1950s and 1960s when the industry rapidly grew. Their success led to the construction of a three-story addition in 1956 to increase the amount of manufacturing space. Upon completion, the Borg Fabric Division operated both day and night shifts. Ultimately, competition in the industry and a desire to shift operations to other company facilities resulted in the end of pile fabrics manufacturing at this location in 1980.