During the Civil War, growing demand for shoes and boots established Auburn as a shoe manufacturing center. Jacob Roak, Ara Cushman, Jeremiah Dingley, and others worked to build a first-rate shoe manufacturing center there. Roak Block on Main Street in Auburn was built in 1871-72 as a cradle to help shoe firms get their start. Each manufacturer invested in and owned a vertical section of the nine-part structure. The ground floor served as retail storefront, while the upper floors were used for manufacturing shoes. Shoe production became the dominant industry, and Auburn was considered the shoe capital of the world. In 1917, one factory in Auburn was producing 75 percent of the world's supply of white canvas shoes.