Kirsch was founded in 1907 by Charles W. Kirsch when he invented the first flat curtain rod. The company is known in the industry for our many industry firsts including the adjustable traverse rod in 1928, the first aluminum Venetian blinds, first S-slat blinds, the first motorized electromagnetic traverse rod, which appeared on the market in 1967, and the introduction of the first cordless blinds in 1989.

Today, Kirsch is part of Levolor Kirsch Window Fashions and employs 2,247 people at facilities totaling more than three million square feet in High Point, NC; Freeport, IL; Athens, GA; Bisbee, AZ; Rockaway, NJ; Ogden, UT; Salt Lake City, UT; Sturgis, MI; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and operations in Mexico.
 

 
1907: Charles W. Kirsch invents the first flat curtain rod and founds the Kirsch Company.
1907: C.W. Kirsch invents the first "telescoping" flat rod.
1907: C.W. Kirsch begins packaging his curtain rods, complete with brackets.
1919: Kirsch makes its first foreign shipment.
1923: Kirsch begins construction of a half million square foot plant in Sturgis, Michigan.
1928: C.W. Kirsch invents the first adjustable traverse rod.
1935: Kirsch begins manufacturing wood slat Venetian blinds.
1939: Kirsch rods are used as the only rods in the movie classic, "Gone With The Wind."
1950: Kirsch Sunaire Venetian blinds are featured in the hit film, "Hit The Jackpot" starring Jimmy Stewart.
1953: Kirsch introduces the Superfine® adjustable traverse rod.
1954: Kirsch introduces vertical slat traverse rods and decorative café rods.
1956: Kirsch constructs a second plant in Sturgis containing 250,000 square feet of warehousing and assembly space.
1957: Kirsch celebrates its 50th anniversary with 1,800 employees and sales in excess of $30 million.
1960: Kirsch decorative traverse rods are introduced to the nation on the "Today" show.
1962: Architrac®, a professional line of traverse tracks for professional installations, is introduced.
1967: Kirsch introduces the world's first motorized electromagnetic traverse rod.
1980: The Continental® wide pocket curtain rod is patented by Kirsch.
1988: Swag 'N' Tails™, a pole set that allows homeowners to turn simple scarves into complex-looking top treatments, is introduced.
1994: Studio Coordinates™ mix and match decorative window hardware is introduced featuring one-of-a-kind hand-painted finials.
1995: Several lines of decorative window hardware are introduced including the C.W.Kirsch Signature Series Buckingham™ Collection, Design Trends™ Wrought Iron Collection and Fashion Trends decorative café rods.
1997: The C.W. Kirsch Signature Series adds the Tiffany Collection, featuring hand assembled multi-colored stained glass finials and holdbacks reminiscent of the Arts & Crafts era.
2002: At IWCE, Kirsch unveils an exciting new exhibit designed around the emerging trends in home decor style. Also Kirsch introduces new signature lines of decorative window hardware by Clodagh and Raymond Waites, and the Gallery Kirsch Designer of the Year Program.


Bill Blakley