From Canned Corn to Insulation: The Long Life of Oskaloosa’s H.L. Spencer Building

The former H.L. Spencer – Western Grocer Company building in Oskaloosa—later used by US Fiber and now owned by Musco Lighting—continues to be dismantled brick by brick. Once a hub for canned goods and insulation production, the structure is now in the final stages of demolition, revealing its layered industrial past.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa — A familiar industrial landmark in Oskaloosa’s 600 block of High Avenue West is now undergoing demolition, but its brick and mortar tell a much longer story—one that stretches back more than a century.

Known to many in recent years as the US Fiber building, and now owned by Musco Lighting, the structure once prominently displayed the name “Western Grocer Company” on its façade. That faded lettering is a glimpse into a significant chapter of Iowa’s industrial and agricultural history.

The Western Grocer Company: From Marshalltown to Oskaloosa

Founded in 1908 and headquartered in Marshalltown, Iowa, the Western Grocer Company was one of the largest regional food suppliers of its time. The company evolved from the John T. Hancock & Sons Company, and quickly expanded its reach throughout the Midwest.

Specializing in canned goods, the company became a key player in the nation’s food supply chain. By operating five canning factories across Iowa, Western Grocer became the nation’s largest supplier of canned corn during its prime. Seasonal operations included spring asparagus canning, followed by sauerkraut into the late fall. Its canned goods were known under several prominent labels, with Faultless being its most important brand, followed by Climax.

But it wasn’t just vegetables—the company also ran a giant coffee roasting plant in Marshalltown and was the exclusive distributor for Chocolate Cream Coffee. It held the distinction of being Iowa’s largest wholesaler of fish, and its distribution network extended from the Mississippi River to as far north as Red Wing, Minnesota. Its Dubuque branch retained the earlier Hancock & Son name, capitalizing on its existing commercial routes along the river.

The former Western Grocer Company building in Oskaloosa, seen here shortly before demolition began. The faded red paint and visible lettering tell the story of its early 20th-century roots as part of one of Iowa’s largest food distribution networks. Once home to canned goods, the building later served as a manufacturing site for insulation under US Fiber.

A Legacy in Oskaloosa

While much of Western Grocer’s corporate footprint was centered in larger Iowa cities, the Oskaloosa building became one of the company’s many outposts—used for production, warehousing, and eventually retrofitted for other manufacturing purposes in later years.

The building, later known as the Hagens plant, maintained a connection to the region’s agricultural output before transitioning into modern industrial use as US Fiber, where blow-in insulation was manufactured. Over time, the structure became a symbol of evolving industries—shifting from food preservation to building materials.

Demolition and What Comes Next

Now under the ownership of Musco, the building is being demolished. The process reveals decades of structural evolution—steel reinforcements, concrete retrofits, and traces of its original brickwork.

While the demolition marks the end of the building’s physical presence, its historical significance remains embedded in the community’s memory.

Musco will be breaking ground this fall on a new 30,000 square-foot facility for product development and testing to be located at 601 1st Avenue West in Oskaloosa.

You can learn more about the Western Grocer Company by following this LINK to a YouTube video sharing the history of that business.

Updated this article to share Musco’s plan for the land in the near future.