740 Park Place was built for the James G. Marshall family in 1913. Mr. Marshall was a founder of the Union Carbide Corporation and went on to become General Superintendent of all Union Carbide facilities throughout the world. Mr. Marshall was an inventor, industrialist and civic leader. He invented the industrial covered furnace, a safety improvement in the chemical industry, and he was an early proponent for employee rights and benefits. Mr. Marshall became General Superintendent of all Union Carbide plants in 1921 and held that position until his retirement in 1938. He remained closely associated with the company as a consultant, doing business from the library in his home at 740 Park Place. Local researcher Lou Ricciuti has determined that in his association with Union Carbide Mr. Marshall was involved with experiments related to the development of the Atomic Bomb in the local portion of the Manhattan Project.
In 1937 he was awarded the Schoellkopf Medal by the Western New York Chapter of the American Chemical Society for his work in the chemical industry. Upon receiving the Schoellkopf Medal in 1937, Mr. Marshall was recognized for