Elgin-Butler Brick Company
Encyclopedia
The Elgin-Butler Brick Company manufactures structural ceramic glazed masonry products at a plant northeast of Austin, Texas
, United States
. The company enjoyed regional market dominance in structural brick and other ceramic products for much of the 20th century, until Acme Brick Company
overtook its position.
The company was entirely family-owned and operated until the early 21st century, when lack of growth, heavy debt, and family infighting spurred the involvement of outside parties.
. Irish immigrant bricklayer Michael Butler discovered clay pits at the site shortly after the Texas and New Orleans Railroad arrived there in 1871. The community that grew up around it came to be known as Butler, a company town with a company store and brick houses for employees who farmed on the side.
The town's population reached about 150 and the company also mined clay from a site now in the Zilker Park
soccer fields in Austin. The clay was transported in buckets hung from mule-drawn lines to kiln
s on the site of the present-day Austin High School
. Another plant was located farther down the Colorado River
at the site of the Zachary Scott Theatre. In 1912 the firm acquired the Austin Brick Company, and in 1965 it acquired its chief competitor, Elgin Standard Brick Company. The company supplied bricks for the Texas State Capitol
, 80 percent of the brick structures at the University of Texas at Austin
, fireplaces in many Austin residences, and many other brick buildings in Austin. Brick from the firm was also used for the façade of the United States Embassy in Mexico City.
Elgin-Butler Brick Company website
Acme Brick Company website
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company enjoyed regional market dominance in structural brick and other ceramic products for much of the 20th century, until Acme Brick Company
Acme Brick
Acme Brick Company is an American manufacturer and distributor of brick and masonry-related construction products and materials. Founder, George E. Bennett , chartered the company in Alton, Illinois as the 'Acme Pressed Brick Company' on April 17, 1891...
overtook its position.
The company was entirely family-owned and operated until the early 21st century, when lack of growth, heavy debt, and family infighting spurred the involvement of outside parties.
History
Originally called Butler Brick Company, the firm was founded in 1873 five miles east of Elgin, TexasElgin, Texas
Elgin is a city in Bastrop and Travis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 5,700 at the 2000 census. By 2005, the population grew to an estimated 8,689...
. Irish immigrant bricklayer Michael Butler discovered clay pits at the site shortly after the Texas and New Orleans Railroad arrived there in 1871. The community that grew up around it came to be known as Butler, a company town with a company store and brick houses for employees who farmed on the side.
The town's population reached about 150 and the company also mined clay from a site now in the Zilker Park
Zilker Park
Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in the heart of south Austin that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the land to the city in 1917. It was developed into the park during the Great Depression in the 1930s...
soccer fields in Austin. The clay was transported in buckets hung from mule-drawn lines to kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s on the site of the present-day Austin High School
Austin High School (Austin, Texas)
Stephen F. Austin High School, or more commonly Austin High, founded in 1881, is one of the oldest public high schools west of the Mississippi River, and was the first public high school in the state of Texas....
. Another plant was located farther down the Colorado River
Colorado River (Texas)
The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
at the site of the Zachary Scott Theatre. In 1912 the firm acquired the Austin Brick Company, and in 1965 it acquired its chief competitor, Elgin Standard Brick Company. The company supplied bricks for the Texas State Capitol
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is located in Austin, Texas, and is the fourth building to be the house of Texas government in Austin. It houses the chambers of the Texas Legislature and the office of the governor of Texas. It was designed originally during 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, and was...
, 80 percent of the brick structures at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, fireplaces in many Austin residences, and many other brick buildings in Austin. Brick from the firm was also used for the façade of the United States Embassy in Mexico City.
Elgin-Butler Brick Company website
Acme Brick Company website