As more homes were built in the Vernon Heights area in southeast Cedar Rapids and other areas of town, Ilten & Taege outgrew its original location and about 1900 moved to 201 First St. SW.

Business continued to prosper, prompting another move. In 1930, Ilten & Taege - minus Taege - relocated to 325 Fourth Ave. SW.

As the Great Depression took its toll, Lee Ilten Sr. took over the business from his father and two brothers, Oscar and Bob Ilten. He was joined by Carl Freundt, but the name of the firm remained Ilten & Taege.

In 1947, Freundt left the business and a post-World War II home-building boom prompted Ilten & Taege to move yet again to 301 F Ave. NW. The 7,040-square-foot structure allowed the company to expand its warehousing and ductwork manufacturing space.

In the early 1950s, Ilten's entered the commercial market when it installed the heating and air-conditioning equipment at Stamats Publishing. Business expanded rapidly, forcing the company to move to its current location at 106 Second Ave. SW.

" We installed the first automated ductwork manufacturing machine." " Welty-Way - now Iowa Precision Industries made that machine here in Cedar Rapids. It really speeded up the process and made us a much more efficient operation." - Continued -