Powell & Minnock Brick Company
Encyclopedia
The Powell & Minnock Brick Company was founded in the late 1880s by members of the Powell and Minnock Families. The company closed down in 2001. In 2006, the company's Coeymans, New York site was used for assembly of the 145th Street Bridge
's new swing span.
The company's site is located to the immediate south of the Lafarge
cement plant, which acquired some of P&M's land, probably during its construction in the 1960s.
In 1963 Powell and Minnock acquired and transferred its operations to the old Sutton and Suderly yard, which had closed after nearly 80 years in Coeymans. In the late 60s, Powell & Minnock assumed the contract for supplying brick for Co-op City, Bronx
. They were the sole supplier, furnishing a 3 1/2 inches high by 8 inches long "Econo" brick. This was a brick size well outside of any previous Hudson River brickmaking experience. The Econo brick also was a brown brick that had a manganese additive for coloring."
By the mid-1970s, the Hudson River brick industry was reduced to 2 plants: Powell and Minnock and the former Hutton Company. The last major investment at Powell & Minnock was a new molded-brick plant, built in 1989. At the time, Powell & Minnock was owned by General Dynamics
, the diversified industrial giant known for its manufacture of tanks and submarines.
In 2000 an award from NY State of more than $4,000 went to Powell and Minnock to fund an efficiency study of the facility. Annual energy bills exceeded $1.6 million. The study recommended a number of ways the company could lower its energy costs, including lighting upgrades and retrofits, installing more efficient electric motors, and modifying the kilns used to manufacture the bricks, which would allow 63% more bricks to be processed through the kilns each day. These recommendations could save Powell and Minnock about $640,000 per year. The total cost to implement these recommendations will be a little more than $1 million, which will be covered by the energy savings in less than two years.
In 2001 Cockrell and other managers tried to save the company which was then owned by Isiklar Holding of Istanbul, Turkey with a buy-out plan. The plan failed.
The property was purchased by P&M Brick LLC. When it became clear that the capital investment necessary to make the plant viable again proved too high, the vision of a marine terminal was conceived. Today, the Port of Coeymans Marine Terminal is a rapidly growing, privately-owned, full service marine terminal and port.
145th Street Bridge
The 145th Street Bridge, located in New York City, USA, is a four-lane swing bridge that crosses the Harlem River, connecting 145th Street and Lenox Avenue in Manhattan with East 149th Street and River Avenue in the Bronx. It once carried northbound New York State Route 22 and New York State Route...
's new swing span.
The company's site is located to the immediate south of the Lafarge
Lafarge
Lafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...
cement plant, which acquired some of P&M's land, probably during its construction in the 1960s.
In 1963 Powell and Minnock acquired and transferred its operations to the old Sutton and Suderly yard, which had closed after nearly 80 years in Coeymans. In the late 60s, Powell & Minnock assumed the contract for supplying brick for Co-op City, Bronx
Co-op City, Bronx
Co-op City , located in the Baychester section of the Borough of the Bronx in northeast New York City, is one of the largest cooperative housing developments in the world. Situated at the intersection of Interstate 95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, the community is part of Bronx Community Board 10...
. They were the sole supplier, furnishing a 3 1/2 inches high by 8 inches long "Econo" brick. This was a brick size well outside of any previous Hudson River brickmaking experience. The Econo brick also was a brown brick that had a manganese additive for coloring."
By the mid-1970s, the Hudson River brick industry was reduced to 2 plants: Powell and Minnock and the former Hutton Company. The last major investment at Powell & Minnock was a new molded-brick plant, built in 1989. At the time, Powell & Minnock was owned by General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
, the diversified industrial giant known for its manufacture of tanks and submarines.
In 2000 an award from NY State of more than $4,000 went to Powell and Minnock to fund an efficiency study of the facility. Annual energy bills exceeded $1.6 million. The study recommended a number of ways the company could lower its energy costs, including lighting upgrades and retrofits, installing more efficient electric motors, and modifying the kilns used to manufacture the bricks, which would allow 63% more bricks to be processed through the kilns each day. These recommendations could save Powell and Minnock about $640,000 per year. The total cost to implement these recommendations will be a little more than $1 million, which will be covered by the energy savings in less than two years.
In 2001 Cockrell and other managers tried to save the company which was then owned by Isiklar Holding of Istanbul, Turkey with a buy-out plan. The plan failed.
The property was purchased by P&M Brick LLC. When it became clear that the capital investment necessary to make the plant viable again proved too high, the vision of a marine terminal was conceived. Today, the Port of Coeymans Marine Terminal is a rapidly growing, privately-owned, full service marine terminal and port.