Atlantic Terra Cotta Company

Atlantic Terra Cotta Company
IndustryClay industry
Founded1879 (As Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company) (1879 (As Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company))
FounderAlfred Hall
Defunct1943 (1943)
FateDissolved
Headquarters
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S.
The Atlantic Terra Cotta Company created the Supreme Court Building's clay tile roof in 1932.

The Atlantic Terra Cotta Company was established in 1879 as the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta in Perth Amboy, New Jersey due to rich regional supplies of clay. It was one of the first successful glazed architectural terra-cotta companies in the United States.[1][2]

History

Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company

Alfred Hall had previously owned a company that produced porcelain and household wares but was inspired to begin production of Architectural terra cotta after receiving advice from his nephew. Hall attempted to dominate the market for Architectural terra cotta, but his success led to the formation of multiple regional competitors in the 1880s, such as the New Jersey Terra Cotta Company, the Standard Terra Cotta Company, and the Excelsior Terra Cotta Company.[1]

The demand for architectural terra cotta grew dramatically in the last two decades of the 1800s, with total annual industry profits rising from one million dollars in 1890 to eight million in 1900.[1]

Atlantic Terra Cotta Company

Workers at the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company plant in Rocky Hill, New Jersey

Between 1906 and 1907 the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company, the Excelsior Terra Cotta Company, the Standard Terra Cotta Company, and the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company of Staten Island merged together, with the newly formed corporation named after the latter group. The sheer size of the new group allowed it to become the leading manufacturer on the East Coast and secure contracts producing terra cotta for much of the steel-frame construction in the Northeast.[1]

At the time of the merger the company had four plants, in Perth Amboy and Rocky Hill, New Jersey, Staten Island, New York, and Eastpoint, Georgia.[3]

In 1921 the company was charged with violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and colluding with competitors by sharing pricing information with other manufacturers of terra cotta. The company weathered that difficulty and subsequent fines, but was hit hard by the Great Depression, when construction of skyscrapers paused and terra cotta ornamentation suddenly seemed unjustifiably expensive.[1]

Prevailing architectural attitudes favored materials such as glass, metal, and concrete and the company's work diminished over the next decade. The company ceased operations in 1943.[3]

Notable projects

Some of the company's most notable projects include the Flatiron Building (1901), the Woolworth Building (1910), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (1928), and the United States Supreme Court (1932).[2][4]

Additionally, the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company and its predecessors contributed significantly to the architecture of Perth Amboy, which features a total of 111 structures with terra cotta detailing or facades.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Veit, Richard (1999). "Moving Beyond the Factory Gates: The Industrial Archaeology of New Jersey's Terra Cotta Industry". Industrial Archaeology. 25: 11–26.
  2. ^ a b Bzdak, Meredith Arms; Petersen, Douglas (1999). Public Sculpture in New Jersey: Monuments to Collective Identity. Rutgers University Press. p. 39. ISBN 0-8135-2700-7.
  3. ^ a b Martinson, Kathy. "Administrative History of the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company (1908-1943)". Texas Archival Resources Online. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. ^ Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of New Jersey (1934). New Jersey: A Guide to Its Present and Past. U.S History Publishers. p. 368. ISBN 1-60354-029-6.
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