group of four heavily reinforced heavy gauge steel sliding drawer stackable filing cabinet "l.b." units salvaged from an old chicago bank building demolished in 2012. the visually distinctive, multi-purpose cabinets were designed and fabricated by the library bureau co., usa. the cabinets are equipped with folded and pressed partially enclosed "sleeves" that house the sliding drawers. the fanciful drawer handles contain the words "library bureau" in lightly incised lettering. the label holders are original and intact. the brushed metal finish has been sealed with a clear coat lacquer. priced for the lot of four. the library bureau was a business founded by melville dewey in 1876 to provide supplies and equipment to libraries. the library bureau quickly became a one-stop vendor for supplies and equipment a library might need. by 1900, its lengthy, well illustrated catalog was widely distributed. during the late 1800's and early 1900's, the library bureau supplied furniture, equipment, supplies, and services to many of the new carnegie libraries being built. the bureau prospered. it opened a number of large factories to provide furniture and supplies. it sold merchandise and services through a network of sales offices in the united states, england, france, and belgium. in the 1890's, the library bureau introduced vertical filing. it soon became a large supplier of filing equipment, supplies, and expertise to business and government. library bureau schools in major cities taught filing to clerical workers. in 1927, the library bureau was absorbed along with a number of suppliers of office supplies and equipment by the newly formed remington rand holding company. the remington rand continued to use the brand name "library bureau" into the 1950's. after remington rand and its successor companies had stopped using the library bureau brand name, they sold the name to a furniture company in maryland which makes furniture in the spirit of antique library bureau furniture. measures approximately 13 x 27 x 49 inches.