Common Brick Company

Common Brick Company
Name	Common Brick Company
Type	Private
Industry	Brick manufacturing
Founded	1889
Founder	William H. Mercer
Headquarters	Richmond, Virginia
Products	Clay bricks, face brick, paving brick, architectural masonry
Num employees	450 (peak 1960s)

Common Brick Company was a prominent American brick manufacturer established in the late 19th century that supplied clay masonry units across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. It played a significant role in regional industrialization, urban development, and architectural projects through the 20th century, interacting with railroads, construction firms, and municipal authorities. Its operations connected to major contractors, architectural practices, and preservation movements, influencing material culture in cities such as Richmond, Baltimore, and Norfolk.

History

Founded in 1889 by William H. Mercer amid the post-Reconstruction building boom, the firm expanded alongside railroads and industrial consolidation, navigating markets dominated by firms such as Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, American Tobacco Company, and regional foundries. During the Progressive Era the company engaged with municipal waterworks projects commissioned by bodies like the Richmond Board of Public Works and worked for architects associated with the Beaux-Arts and Colonial Revival movements. In World War I the company supplied masonry to military cantonments tied to the United States Army mobilization and later adapted to interwar shifts in demand influenced by the Great Depression. The company reorganized after labor disputes that involved unions linked to the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and it modernized production during the post-World War II construction boom that included projects connected to the Federal Highway Act and suburban developers affiliated with firms like Levitt & Sons.

Operations and Products

Common Brick Company produced a range of clay masonry units, including standard modular bricks used by builders influenced by the practices of McKim, Mead & White and the material specifications of engineers from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Their face brick and glazed units were specified by architectural firms working on municipal courthouses, bank buildings, and schools associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation inventories. The product line included paving brick adopted for municipal contracts tied to highway departments modeled on standards promulgated by the American Society of Civil Engineers and by state departments of transportation like Virginia Department of Transportation. The company offered custom colors and textures requested by architects collaborating with organizations such as the American Institute of Architects and contractors linked to the Bechtel Corporation and Turner Construction Company.

Facilities and Locations

Primary manufacturing facilities were located in Richmond, with satellite yards and clay pits near Petersburg, Virginia, Hanover County, Virginia, and river terminals on the James River. Distribution relied on interchange with regional rail carriers including the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and later the Norfolk Southern Railway. Brickworks incorporated Hoffmann kilns and tunnel kilns influenced by European equipment suppliers that also served plants connected to the Ludowici Roof Tile Company and other ceramics manufacturers concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic. The company maintained sales offices in port cities such as Baltimore, Maryland and Norfolk, Virginia and supplied material for projects in urban centers like Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia.

Corporate Structure and Ownership

Originally family-owned by the Mercer family, the company later formed partnerships with regional investors tied to finance houses in New York City and industrial conglomerates that included board members with backgrounds at firms like the International Harvester Company and United States Steel Corporation. Ownership shifts in the 1930s and 1950s reflected mergers and acquisitions trends similar to those affecting the National Biscuit Company and other manufacturing concerns, while governance practices echoed corporate models used by public utilities regulated by agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. Labor relations involved collective bargaining with local chapters of national unions that interfaced with arbitration panels modeled on precedents from cases heard by the National Labor Relations Board.

Environmental and Safety Practices

Environmental management evolved from little regulation to compliance with statutes inspired by landmark policies associated with federal entities like the Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental agencies such as the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Waste handling, kiln emissions, and clay quarry reclamation were shaped by standards promoted by research from institutions such as the United States Geological Survey and technical guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Remediation projects at former pit sites sometimes drew funding and oversight from programs influenced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and historic preservation grants administered through the National Park Service.

Notable Projects and Legacy

Common Brick Company supplied materials to a range of notable projects, including municipal courthouses, post offices built under programs associated with the United States Postal Service and New Deal-era construction, railway stations used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and educational buildings affiliated with universities such as University of Virginia and Richmond Professional Institute. Surviving Common Brick façades are subjects of preservation efforts coordinated with organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and state historic preservation offices tied to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The company’s clay products influenced vernacular streetscapes and institutional architecture documented in architectural surveys conducted by entities such as the Library of Congress and the Historic American Buildings Survey, leaving a material legacy in masonry practices studied by scholars at the Smithsonian Institution and regional historical societies.

Category:Brickworks in the United States Category:Companies established in 1889