Brown Instrument Company
Encyclopedia
Brown Instrument Company was a U.S.
firm known for high-quality instruments
(such as pyrometer
s, thermometer
s, hygrometer
s, tachometer
s, pressure gauge
s, flow meter
s, and electrical meters) and industrial controls.
The company was founded in 1857 in Philadelphia by Edward Brown, inventor of the first pyrometer of American design. In 1934, the firm became a division of Honeywell
.
The company was a large employer in North Philadelphia during most of the 20th century. The large brick factory building across Windrim Avenue from Wayne Junction
, currently Extra Space Storage, was formerly one of the principal Brown Instrument Company buildings. The Wayne Avenue façade still has "Brown Instrument Co" relieved into the concrete. A catalog of 1921 mentions the laboratories here. A search on Google Book Search for "Brown Instrument" "Wayne Ave" shows multiple addresses for the company on the 4400 and 4500 blocks of Wayne Ave, which straddle Wayne Junction. Another search result from 1915 mentions 311 Walnut St. Across the regional rail tracks from Fern Rock Transportation Center
there is another old factory building topped by a sign marked "Honeywell – Brown Instrument Division".
The firm later moved to Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
. Honeywell's automation and control businesses still have a campus there, although the Brown Instrument name has been retired.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
firm known for high-quality instruments
Measuring instrument
In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...
(such as pyrometer
Pyrometer
A pyrometer is a non-contacting device that intercepts and measures thermal radiation, a process known as pyrometry.This device can be used to determine the temperature of an object's surface....
s, thermometer
Thermometer
Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer (from the...
s, hygrometer
Hygrometer
A hygrometer is an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the environmental air, or humidity. Most measurement devices usually rely on measurements of some other quantity such as temperature, pressure, mass or a mechanical or electrical change in a substance as moisture is absorbed...
s, tachometer
Tachometer
A tachometer is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute on a calibrated analogue dial, but digital displays are increasingly common...
s, pressure gauge
Pressure measurement
Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of pressure and vacuum. Instruments used to measure pressure are called pressure gauges or vacuum gauges....
s, flow meter
Flow measurement
Flow measurement is the quantification of bulk fluid movement. Flow can be measured in a variety of ways.Positive-displacement flow meters acumulate a fixed volume of fluid and then count the number of times the volume is filled to measure flow...
s, and electrical meters) and industrial controls.
The company was founded in 1857 in Philadelphia by Edward Brown, inventor of the first pyrometer of American design. In 1934, the firm became a division of Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
.
The company was a large employer in North Philadelphia during most of the 20th century. The large brick factory building across Windrim Avenue from Wayne Junction
Wayne Junction (SEPTA station)
Wayne Junction is a SEPTA Regional Rail station located at 4481 Wayne Avenue, extending along Windrim Avenue to Germantown Avenue, bordering the Nicetown and Germantown neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Station:...
, currently Extra Space Storage, was formerly one of the principal Brown Instrument Company buildings. The Wayne Avenue façade still has "Brown Instrument Co" relieved into the concrete. A catalog of 1921 mentions the laboratories here. A search on Google Book Search for "Brown Instrument" "Wayne Ave" shows multiple addresses for the company on the 4400 and 4500 blocks of Wayne Ave, which straddle Wayne Junction. Another search result from 1915 mentions 311 Walnut St. Across the regional rail tracks from Fern Rock Transportation Center
Fern Rock Transportation Center
The Fern Rock Transportation Center is a SEPTA rail and bus transportation center located at 10th Street and Nedro Avenue in the Fern Rock neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fern Rock serves as the northern terminus and yard for SEPTA's Broad Street Line, as well as a stop for the...
there is another old factory building topped by a sign marked "Honeywell – Brown Instrument Division".
The firm later moved to Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington is an unincorporated census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.-Prior to the Revolutionary War:...
. Honeywell's automation and control businesses still have a campus there, although the Brown Instrument name has been retired.