industry ceramic manufacturing predecessor gladding mcbean & company successor international pipe & ceramics interpace founded 1875 founder charles gladding peter mcgill mcbean and george chambers headquarters lincoln california united states key people pacific coast building products president & ceo dave lucchetti products clay sewer pipe chimney tops roof tile and terracotta garden ware parent pacific coast building products inc. website www.gladdingmcbean.com gladding mcbean is a ceramics company located in lincoln california . it is one of the oldest companies in california a pioneer in ceramics technology and a company which has contributed immeasurably to the state s industrialization . 1 during the heyday of architectural terra cotta the company dominated the industry in california and the far west . 2 contents 1 founding 2 growth acquisitions and merger 3 decline and revival 4 products and legacy 5 see also 6 references 7 external links founding edit gladding mcbean factory in lincoln california . charles gladding 1828 1894 was born in buffalo new york served as a first lieutenant in the union army during the civil war 3 and later moved to chicago where he engaged in the clay sewer pipe business . he came to california in 1874 looking for new business opportunities . 4 while in california he read an article in a san francisco newspaper about a large clay deposit near the town of lincoln california . 5 investigating gladding verified that it was an unusually fine deposit of white kaolin clay located close to a railroad line . 2 and selected the spot as the site for a new business . gladding along with peter mcgill mcbean and george chambers established gladding mcbean in 1875 . 6 its original product was clay sewer pipe . by 1883 the company had grown to 75 employees 2 and it then evolved into a major manufacturer of architectural terra cotta . peter mcbean became president of the company after charles gladding s death in 1894 and his son athol mcbean later served as chairman of the board . 4 growth acquisitions and merger edit gladding mcbean s factory in lincoln california gladding mcbean roof tile and architectural terra cotta details decorate most buildings at stanford university . clay sewer pipe stored at gladding mcbean in june 1923 the company acquired the controlling stock of tropico potteries inc. of los angeles . 7 in 1925 the company purchased all the holdings of the northern clay products company including the auburn washington terra cotta plant . 8 in 1926 the company merged with the los angeles pressed brick company . 9 after this merger the company had plants in los angeles santa monica point richmond and alberhill california . the former los angeles pressed brick company s plant at 922 date street became gladding mcbean s los angeles plant . 7 in 1927 the company acquired the holdings of the denny renton clay & coal company which included the terra cotta plant in renton washington the plant and mines in taylor and mica washington . the company closed their plant in van aselt washington in 1927 . 8 tropico potteries inc. filed for dissolution of the corporation in 1928 merging with gladding mcbean . the former tropico potteries s plant at 2901 los feliz boulevard became the company s glendale plant . 7 due to the great depression the auburn plant closed in 1932 . all operations were consolidated with the renton plant . the taylor coal and clay mines and the town were condemned by the seattle water department in order to include the area inside an expanded watershed . 7 in 1933 the company bought the entire holdings on the pacific coast of the american encaustic tiling company ltd. of new york . 10 since the demand for building materials dwindled the company began to look for new products . the company expanded into tableware . in 1932 experimental work in dinnerware began at the glendale plant in los angeles . 7 in 1934 gladding mcbean introduced the franciscan pottery line of dinnerware and art ware named after the franciscan friars who established missions throughout california in the 18th and 19th centuries . 11 the lines were very successful . in 1937 gladding mcbean and co. purchased the catalina clay products division of santa catalina island co. . the company closed the pottery moving all molds and equipment to the glendale plant . the company continued to use the tradename of catalina pottery on select dinnerware and art ware lines produced in the glendale plant until 1942 . in 1940 the company introduced the hand painted embossed pattern franciscan apple and in 1941 desert rose . both patterns became the company s most popular patterns . 12 the company introduced fine china dinnerware in 1942 and due to world war ii discontinued all art ware lines . 7 by 1950 it was considered one of the world s largest ceramics manufacturers . 13 in 1957 they purchased washington brick and lime and its factories located in dishman washington and clayton washington . the company was described at that time as the west s largest ceramics firm with seven plants in california and two in washington in addition to those acquired in that purchase . 14 because of the importation of inexpensive japanese ceramics gladding mcbean s tableware sales declined in the post world war ii period . this was a factor in gladding mcbean s decision to seek a merger . 6 in 1962 the company merged with the lock joint pipe company which resulted in the creation of the international pipe and ceramics corporation 15 shortened to interpace corp. in 1968 . 6 decline and revival edit in 1976 interpace corp. announced their intention to cease operations at the lincoln plant where gladding mcbean began . pacific coast building products then purchased the lincoln factory and restored the historic name of gladding mcbean 16 which remains in business today . interpace corp. sold its franciscan ceramics division to josiah wedgwood and sons ltd. in 1979 . in 1984 production was moved to wedgwood s stoke on trent facility in england . 6 the company now operates as a division of pacific coast building products inc under the name gladding mcbean llc . hard hit by the recession the company had 110 employees in 2010 down from an average of 240 workers between 2001 and 2007 . 17 the company sponsors an annual feats of clay ceramic arts festival in lincoln . 5 products and legacy edit from its base in clay sewer pipe and terra cotta the company expanded into brick production and then branched out to dinnerware in the 1930s with its franciscan and catalina lines . in 1959 the company was awarded a subcontract in excess of 500 000 for the production of ceramic radomes . 18 that year a spokesman for the company cited research in oxides and other rare earths as providing a solution to the high heat speed and radiation problems of the space age and identified the company s best selling products at that time as dinnerware tile refractories facebrick clay pipe and conduit and technical ceramics . 19 the company now identifies its main products as clay roof tile piazza floor tile chimney tops and caps terra cotta garden pottery and clay sewer pipe . 20 the california state library now holds the company s job files from 1888 to 1966 documenting the use of its products to decorate thousands of buildings including most major structures on the campus of stanford university . 21 the red roof tiles and architectural terra cotta details helped achieve the distinctive spanish colonial revival style so common to coastal california . while many of the buildings throughout the west coast have been demolished such the richfield tower in los angeles beautiful examples remain such as san diego s spreckels theater and the ventura county courthouse . see also edit california pottery franciscan ceramics references edit sandifer robert april 26 1952 . gladding mcbean noted for ceramics pioneering . los angeles times . los angeles . retrieved april 8 2011 . a b c kurutz gary f. 1989 . architectural terra cotta of gladding mcbean . windgate press . isbn 978 0 915269 09 9 . smedberg william renwick 1894 . in memoriam . charles gladding first lieutenant 72d illinois volunteer infantry . military order of the loyal legion of the united states . a b page bob ; frederiksen dale 1999 . franciscan an american dinnerware tradition . page frederiksen publishing company . pp. 7 8 . isbn 978 1 889977 07 2 . a b crowds fired up for clay festival . sacramento bee . sacramento california . may 22 1997 . retrieved june 19 2011 . a b c d rinker harry october 10 2006 . desert rose dinnerware s popularity means you might as well keep and use it . the morning call . allentown pennsylvania . pp . e4 . retrieved june 19 2011 . a b c d e f elliot bishop james f. 2001 . franciscan catalina and other gladding mcbean wares . schiffer publishing . a b elliot bishop james july 1996 . green river valley clay becomes architectural terra cotta . white river journal a newsletter of the white river valley museum . auburn washington white river museum . two clay products plants consolidate . berkeley daily gazette . berkeley california . february 15 1926 . encaustic tiling in deal. ; sells pacific coast holdings to gladding mcbean & co. . new york times . new york city . august 4 1933 . retrieved april 8 2011 . kovel ralph ; kovel terry november 7 1998 . no kidding popularity grows in 3 d . hartford courant . hartford connecticut . retrieved april 8 2011 . elliot bishop james f. 2004 . franciscan hand painted embossed dinnerware . schiffer publishing . leaders tour ceramics plant . los angeles times . los angeles . april 19 1950 . retrieved april 8 2011 . brick company sale approved washington company is sold to gladding mcbean . the spokesman review . spokane washington . may 30 1957 . p. 1 . retrieved april 8 2011 . merger is ok s by shareholders . spokane daily chronicle . spokane washington . august 24 1962 . about us a crafted history . gladding mcbean . 2010 . retrieved june 19 2011 . johnson kelly february 21 2010 . gladding mcbean partners with natomas firm gc products will move its molding and trim operation to lincoln factory . sacramento business journal . sacramento . retrieved april 8 2011 . first ceramic radome work to gladding . los angeles times . los angeles . may 19 1959 . retrieved april 8 2011 . boom seen in ceramics . spokane daily chronicle . spokane washington . retrieved april 8 2011 . gladding mcbean home products . gladding mcbean . retrieved june 19 2011 . online archive of california gladding mcbean and company . archives job order documents 1888 1966 . retrieved july 19 2016 . external links edit official gladding mcbean company website california state library gladding mcbean company archives index kurutz gary . shapes of clay the architectural terra cotta of gladding mcbean on youtube . city of ventura . july 25 2013 lecture at ventura city hall centennial celebration . includes remarks by charles johnson museum of ventura county librarian in charge introducing gary kurutz author of the architectural terra cotta of gladding mcbean american museum of ceramic art retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title gladding mcbean & oldid 742956372 categories american potteryceramics manufacturers of the united statesmanufacturing companies based in californiaarchitecture in californiaterracottacompanies based in placer county californiamanufacturing companies established in 18751875 establishments in california navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what