attracted thousands of visitors. A number of surviving homes are registered historic properties, including several in the Rosedale Gardens Historic District in Livonia and the Kelvinator House in Albuquerque, New Mexico. British operations In 1926, Kelvinator Limited, England, was started in London. From simple merchandising of the products of the American factories, it grew until it was producing much of its own equipment for the British market. In 1946, it was considered that the time was ripe for this unit to expand and be self-contained in its manufacture of Kelvinator Equipment, and the London manufacturing activities were moved to Crewe and greatly expanded with a further of floor space. The Crewe factory was shared with Rolls-Royce Motors, but burned down in the 1950s and was replaced by a new facility in Bromborough, Cheshire. Italian manufacturer Candy bought the operation in 1979 together with the use of the Kelvinator brand name in the UK and produced both Candy and Kelvinator products until it closed around 2000. Merger with Nash Motors On October 27, 1936, it was announced that Nash Motors and Kelvinator Corp. were merging. The merger took effect on January 4, 1937, to form Nash-Kelvinator Corporation as part of a deal that placed George W. Mason at the helm of the combined company. In 1952, it acquired the Altorfer Bros. Company, which made home laundry equipment under the ABC brand name. World War II Between 1939 and 1945, the complete manufacturing facilities of the factories' group were turned over to the manufacturing of military supplies. With the exception of one-ton, two-wheeled truck cargo trailers and some refrigerators, Nash-Kelvinator did not manufacture products related to its pre-war operations. It became the largest producer of helicopters in the U.S. during the war by making the Sikorsky R-6A Hoverfly II]], the most advanced helicopter design of the war. Other wartime products included three- and four-blade propellers, optical equipment and binoculars as well as Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial aircraft engines. The Kelvinator refrigerator facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, had up to 5,000 employees when it produced airplane propellers and engine parts. Nash-Kelvinator placed 27th in the value of World War II production contracts that were awarded to U.S. firms. In Britain, Kelvinator of London contributed to the field of testing airplane components at ultra-low temperatures, and instruments under high altitude conditions, research that was credited as saving the lives of many