Automotive pioneer Harry C. Stutz and business partner Henry Campbell formed the HCS Motor Car Company in 1919. The two men constructed a new building for this new venture at 1402 N. Capitol Avenue.
Stutz first found success as head of the Stutz Motor Car Company. He resigned as president of the company to form the HCS Company. Like the earlier Stutz Motor Car plant, the HCS factory was constructed with reinforced concrete and given an exterior veneer of buff-colored brick. The two men decided to manufacture luxury cars and emphasize superior design and engineering. Stutz himself, a gifted designer, personally created each model, and the firm based its advertising on the reputation for excellence of the company president. The firm introduced a two-seat roadster, four-seat sedan, a touring car, and a coupe. The HCS reputation received a major boost when driver Tommy Milton won the in 1923 driving an HCS Special racer. In 1924, the company added a taxicab to its line.
A business recession in the early 1920s and strong competition buffeted the HCS firm, and in 1926, the company closed its doors. Harry Stutz moved to Florida. The company produced only around 3,000 vehicles.
In 2005-2006 and construction company Shiel-Sexton acquired the former HCS building. In a joint venture, they invested $12 million rehabilitating the structure and converting it to use for offices.
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