Terra Cotta Building (Alfred, New York)

Terra Cotta Building
The Terra Cotta Building, seen in 2012
Terra Cotta Building (Alfred, New York) is located in New York
Terra Cotta Building (Alfred, New York)
Terra Cotta Building (Alfred, New York) is located in the United States
Terra Cotta Building (Alfred, New York)
LocationMain St., Alfred, New York
Coordinates42°15′27″N 77°47′19″W / 42.25750°N 77.78861°W / 42.25750; -77.78861
Arealess than one acre
Built1892 (1892)
ArchitectCeladon Terra Cotta Company
NRHP reference No.72000820[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 16, 1972

The Terra Cotta Building is a historic building built by the Celadon Terra Cotta Company at Alfred, New York in 1892.[2] The structure is a one-story, 16-foot-wide (4.9 m), 25-foot-deep (7.6 m) building built almost entirely of bricks, architectural terracotta, and roofing tiles manufactured by the company.[3]

The building was built adjacent to the company's Alfred factory and functioned as a sales office and physical catalog of their work. After its construction, local papers reported that "there is probably no more novel or artistic building in Allegany county than the new office of the Alfred Centre Terra Cotta Company."[4]

Under the early direction of George H. Babcock, the Celadon company grew to become a major producer of roof tiles. From the 1890s through the early 1900s the Alfred factory made tiles used on projects including mansions, train stations, and Carnegie libraries.[5] In 1906 the company merged with the Ludowici Roofing Tile Company of Chicago to form the Ludowici-Celadon Company. On August 29, 1909, a fire destroyed the factory in Alfred, and the Ludowici-Celadon company relocated most operations to their other plants. The Terra Cotta building was spared from damage and housed various businesses in the following decades.[6]

In 1969, Alfred University announced plans to construct a new gymnasium on the former factory site, which would require moving or demolishing the Terra Cotta building. The Alfred Historical Society began efforts to preserve the building, listing it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and relocating to its present site across from the village Post Office two years later.[7][1] The Alfred Historical Society hosts open houses throughout the year for people wishing to examine the interior and learn about the history of the building and company.

  • Terra Cotta Building side view, April 2012
    Terra Cotta Building side view, April 2012

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ The Celadon Terra Cotta Co. Archives and Special Collections at Herrick Memorial Library Archived 2010-12-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2014-10-27
  3. ^ NYS Office of Parks and Recreation (1976). National Register of Historic Places in NYS: The First Five Years 1969-1973. Division of Historic Preservation. p. 14.
  4. ^ Swift, Stanley C. (April 14, 1892). "Alfred Centre - The Oddest Town in Allegany County". The Cuba Patriot.
  5. ^ "The Celadon Terra-Cotta Company". The Alfred Sun. April 6, 1898.
  6. ^ Bouck, Dr. Warren L. "The Celadon Terra Cotta Co". Herrick Memorial Library Alfred Archives. Alfred University. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  7. ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)" (Searchable database). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved June 1, 2016. Note: This includes H. B. Harrington and L. H. Klinke (December 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Terra Cotta Building" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2016. and Accompanying four photographs
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