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Adding local short description: "Producer of architectural terra cotta", overriding Wikidata description "Producer of architectural terra cotta"
Rewrote to correct mistakes, clarify timeline, and provide elaboration on company overview, period of activity, and significance
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{{Short description|Producer of architectural terra cotta}}
{{Short description|Producer of architectural terra cotta}}

{{Infobox company
⚫
| name = Atlantic Terra Cotta Company
| image =
| logo =
| logo_size =
| type =
| fate = Dissolved
| predecessor =
| successor =
| foundation = {{Start date|1879 (As Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company)}}
| founder = Alfred Hall
| defunct = {{End date|1943}}
| location_city = [[Perth Amboy]], [[New Jersey]], U.S.
| location =
| locations =
| key_people =
| industry = Clay industry
| products =
| owner =
| num_employees =
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
}}
⚫
[[File:DomeViewSupremeCourtBuilding.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Atlantic Terra Cotta Company created the [[United States Supreme Court building|Supreme Court Building]]'s [[roof tiles|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]].<ref name=rveit>{{cite journal |last1=Veit |first1=Richard |title=Moving Beyond the Factory Gates: The Industrial Archaeology of New Jersey's Terra Cotta Industry |journal=Industrial Archaeology |date=1999 |volume=25 |pages=11-26}}</ref><ref name=bzdak>{{cite book |title=Public Sculpture in New Jersey: Monuments to Collective Identity |last=Bzdak |first=Meredith Arms |author2=Petersen, Douglas |year=1999 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=0-8135-2700-7 |pages=39 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-eRf38Lbb2IC&dq=%22A.+Hall+and+Sons%22+%2B%22Terra+Cotta%22&pg=PA39}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="rveit" />

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.<ref name="rveit" />

===Atlantic Terra Cotta Company===
[[File:Workmen at the Atlantic Terracotta works in Rocky Hill, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Workers at the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company plant in Rocky Hill, New Jersey]]
[[File:Workmen at the Atlantic Terracotta works in Rocky Hill, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|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.<ref name="rveit" />
⚫
[[File:DomeViewSupremeCourtBuilding.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|View of [[United States Supreme Court building|Supreme Court Building]] from United States Capitol dome. Atlantic Terra Cotta created the [[terra cotta]] roof for the building housing the nation’s highest court.]]


At the time of the merger the company had four plants, in Perth Amboy and [[Rocky Hill, New Jersey]], Staten Island, New York, and [[Atlanta, Georgia|Eastpoint, Georgia]].<ref name=kmart>{{cite web |last1=Martinson |first1=Kathy |title=Administrative History of the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company (1908-1943) |url=https://txarchives.org/utaaa/finding_aids/00038.xml |website=Texas Archival Resources Online |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin |access-date=27 March 2024}}</ref>
The '''Atlantic Terra Cotta Company''', established in 1846 as '''A. Hall and Sons Terra Cotta''', was founded in [[Perth Amboy, New Jersey]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Perth Amboy, NJ |last=Seguine-Levine |first=Joan |year=2004 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=0-7385-3465-X |pages=26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Tl2utNUrm8C&dq=%22A.+Hall+and+Sons%22+%2B%22Terra+Cotta%22&pg=PA26}}</ref> due to Perth Amboy's rich supplies of [[clay]]. It was one of the first successful [[terra cotta]] companies in the [[United States]].<ref name=bzdak>{{cite book |title=Public Sculpture in New Jersey: Monuments to Collective Identity |last=Bzdak |first=Meredith Arms |author2=Petersen, Douglas |year=1999 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=0-8135-2700-7 |pages=39 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-eRf38Lbb2IC&dq=%22A.+Hall+and+Sons%22+%2B%22Terra+Cotta%22&pg=PA39}}</ref> Originally, the company produced [[porcelain]] and household wares but transitioned to [[terra cotta]] items. The company, always located at 59 Buckingham Avenue, changed its name to the [[Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company]] and then to Atlantic Terra Cotta<ref name=bzdak/> which, as the preeminent architectural terra cotta producer in the United States, went on to produce in its [[kilns]] the [[terra cotta]] for such notable buildings as the [[United States Supreme Court building|United States Supreme Court]], the [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]], and the [[Woolworth Building]].<ref name=bzdak/><ref>{{cite book |title=New Jersey: A Guide to Its Present and Past |author=Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of New Jersey |year=1934 |publisher=U.S History Publishers |isbn=1-60354-029-6 |pages=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t6wmzEJvTGcC&dq=%22A.+Hall+and+Sons%22+%2B%22Terra+Cotta%22&pg=PA368}}</ref>

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.<ref name="rveit" />

Prevailing architectural attitudes favored materials such as [[Architectural glass|glass]], [[metal]], and [[concrete]] and the company's work diminished over the next decade. The company ceased operations in 1943.<ref name="kmart" />

==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 building|United States Supreme Court]] (1932).<ref name=bzdak/><ref>{{cite book |title=New Jersey: A Guide to Its Present and Past |author=Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of New Jersey |year=1934 |publisher=U.S History Publishers |isbn=1-60354-029-6 |pages=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t6wmzEJvTGcC&dq=%22A.+Hall+and+Sons%22+%2B%22Terra+Cotta%22&pg=PA368}}</ref>

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.<ref name="rveit" />

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:130 West 30th Street, Terra Cotta Panel.jpg|Decorative hunting scene at [[130 West 30th Street]], [[New York City]]
Image:Canal Street IR 001.JPG|Glazed terra cotta ornamentation in Canal Street Station, New York City
Image:Horn & Hardart building 228 West 104th Street 1.jpg|The former [[Horn & Hardart]] building at 228 West 104th Street, New York City
Image:Forest Hills Queens NY Sten W. J. Jacobsson.jpg|''The Spirit of Communication'', relief in the [[Forest Hills station (LIRR)|Forest Hills Station]], Flushing, Queens, New York

</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Architectural terracotta]]
⚫
* [[Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company]]
* [[Glazed architectural terra-cotta]]
* [[Flatiron Building]]


==References==
==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic Terra Cotta Company}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic Terra Cotta Company}}
[[Category:Terracotta]]
[[Category:Ceramics manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Perth Amboy, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Perth Amboy, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Companies based in Middlesex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Companies based in Middlesex County, New Jersey]]
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[[Category:1846 establishments in New Jersey]]
[[Category:1846 establishments in New Jersey]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1943]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1943]]
[[Category:Defunct manufacturing companies based in New Jersey]]


{{Manufacturing-company-stub}}

Revision as of 16:35, 27 March 2024

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]

Gallery

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.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlantic Terra Cotta Company.
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