Abbott

A Founder’s Home Inspires a Multifaceted Heritage and Culture Center

When History Factory first began working with Abbott in the early 2000s, our initial goal was to improve the state of the global pharmaceutical firm’s archives. Abbott’s decision to invest in its archives led to new opportunities. Abbott asked us to develop a heritage and culture center at the firm’s world headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois.

History Factory built the Abbott archive from the ground up. The archive development work led to our next assignment: the heritage and culture center. Abbott House blends new technology and storytelling with late 19th-century Victorian decor to create an authentic and warm environment for a broad range of corporate functions. Traditional and interactive exhibits seamlessly integrate with period wallpaper, wood cabinetry, carpets and furniture. In addition to exhibits, Abbott House also features an executive boardroom, a banquet room and kitchen, a replica of Dr. Abbott’s workshop, an installation of an authentic turn-of-the-century pharmacy, and the company’s archives. After Abbott House was completed, History Factory worked with Abbott to transition its archives from outsourced to in-house. We also developed a web-based virtual tour to extend Abbott House’s reach.

Abbott’s capacity to capture, preserve and leverage its history and authentic content has fully matured. From leadership and reputation initiatives to business development, R&D, talent recruiting and employee engagement, Abbott has aligned its archives and use of authentic content with what the enterprise is doing in the present to continue to succeed in the future.