Architectural Salvage Success Story: Tom Glass

before

after

read on

Antique Eljer Co. Round Fluted Pedestal Sink c.1914

just arrived... stunning piece from the past!

Antique Round Bowl Fluted Pedestal Sink

marked:

AE

Cameron, West VA

Eljer Co 11/14

note soap holder drains!

available here @ Black Dog Salvage
$975

The History of Eljer
Eljer, Inc. was founded in February of 1904 by Raymond ELmer Crane and his cousin, Oscar JERome Backus, from whose middle names "ELJER" was coined.

Eljer's original location was Oakland, California, where flush valves were manufactured. Shortly thereafter, a move was made to Newark, New Jersey, where the firm manufactured a diaphragm-type flush valve with mediocre success.

In 1907 an old dinnerware plant was purchased in Cameron, West Virginia, and converted into a sanitaryware plant. In the beginning, only a washout closet bowl was produced. However, it was in this plant that the first vitreous china tank was developed. Prior to the advent of the china tank, copper-lined wood tanks were the vogue.

Eljer continued to grow, and in 1918 purchased a dinnerware pottery in Ford City, Pennsylvania, located approximately 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh on the east bank of the Allegheny River. The Ford City area was particularly well-suited for the production of plumbing fixtures because of its abundance of raw materials; supply of fuel, such as natural gas and coal; and easy access to transportation via railroad and Allegheny River. The town of Ford City itself was originally founded by Captain John B. Ford as the site of a P.P.G. plant. It was Captain Ford and John Wick who built the pottery, now occupied by Eljer, back in 1897. The acquisition of the Ford City pottery enabled Eljer to offer vitreous china fixtures for every type installation; i.e., residential, commercial, industrial and institutional. The Cameron, West Virginia, Plant continued in operation until 1929 when the production of all vitreous china was consolidated at Ford City. By this time, two of the longest tunnel kilns in the world for the firing of chinaware were in operation at the Ford City Plant.
In the early 1940's, a large single deck kiln was installed in the plant. Approximately ten years later, a larger triple deck kiln was installed.

In 1956 a second plant was built adjacent to the original plant, greatly increasing the production capacity of vitreous china products. This plant contains three one-fire, single deck kilns, 354' long and one double deck refire kiln, equally as long. Plant No. 2 has since been expanded with the installation of a completely automated, direct-fire kiln, 175' in length. In 1989 the Schenley Park Distribution Center and Plant #3 were added. Today, Eljer Plumbingware's vitreous china facility in Ford City is one of the largest and most modern of its type in the world.

The original construction of what was to become the Salem, Ohio cast iron manufacturing facility was completed in 1908. The original plant contained 32,000 square feet. The operation was quite crude, requiring brute strength to accomplish most of the tasks. Castings that today are finished using portable grinders were filed and chiseled by hand. Enamel furnaces were heated with crude oil and the wooden floors were prone to catch fire.

In 1914, the company was purchased by investors to form the National Sanitary Company. By 1922 the floor space has been increased to 65,000 square feet. In 1922 and again in 1928, the foundry was completely destroyed by fire, but rebuilt with new equipment.

In 1929, the Eljer Company purchased the majority of the stock and the Salem plant became Eljer Plumbingware Enamelware Division. During World War II, the plant went into war production. The plant produced castings for diesel engines, plumbing fixtures for war housing, fabricated heavy machinery for war use, produced tool castings and fabricated 1,000 lb. G.P. aerial bombs.

At the close of the war, a $2.5 million expansion began to modernize the foundry. In 1992, the first robotic enameler was installed.

Eljer, Inc. is one of the most prominent brand names in the plumbing fixtures industry. In addition to vitreous china and enameled cast iron, Eljer offers a complete line of quality plumbing fixtures made of acrylic.

American Standard Brands
American Standard Brands was formed in February, 2008 from the merger of 3 companies: American Standard Americas, Crane Plumbing, and Eljer.

Next Salvage Job: 714 South Main Street Harrisonburg VA

here's a quick glimpse at our latest salvage job

the guys are onsite this week reclaiming

doors, windows, corbels, radiators, flooring to name a few...

located at 714 South Main Street in Harrisonburg, VA

more to come!

* note: no, it's not snowing now in Virginia... picture and more info about the house found here

Remarkable Remnants! Fabric available at Black Dog Salvage!

fun idea found on a favorite blog

A Cup of Jo

which was good timing since

Whiteside Designs

just received a new shipment of

fabric remants!

check them out...

$8 per yard

and sample scraps for only $5 each

great for any project you dream up!

available here @ Black Dog Salvage

stop in to see them!

Simple, Rustic, Reclaimed Coffee Table

just up from the shop...

designed for a client who had clipped

a number of ideas from catalogs (i won't mention any names)

made using salvaged antique wrought iron from eqypt
and reclaimed 100 year old white oak barnwood.
simple, stunning, durable, eco-friendly table!
we can design one to meet your specs,
just give us a holler!

Black Dog Salvage - For your old house, new house, green house or DOG HOUSE!

here's a sneak peek at our entry for the

Roanoke Valley Home Show's

BARKitecture competition!

check out the swinging back door!

Sally is still warming up to it and will hopefully
be relaxing on the front porch soon!



Roanoke Valley Home Show
Salem Civic Center
Sat & Sun September 26th and 27th
Tickets $3 at the door
or purchase 25 tickets in advance for $37.50 ($1.50 each)

BARKitecture
* Vote for 'Best in Show'
* Bid in the silent auction for your favorite dog house!
All proceeds will benefit the Roanoke Valley SPCA

Custom Wood Log Ring

brought to you by Ted!

the ultimate in reuse!
this custom log ring was designed for a client
using material found in our scrap pile

originally part of a carousel display salvaged from Old Navy

... now a sleek log holder!

A good lesson to always think twice before

sending anything to the landfill or scrap yard!

Large Antique Wrought Iron Panels / Gates

salvaged from Egypt, these would make

amazing driveway gates

* 4 available - $750 each

simple 3-D scroll design

our biggest challenge here

is photographing all of our antique iron...

photos never do these unique pieces justice

to help show off the design, we have attempted

the use of a white curtain

nice, eh?

albeit a little too short!

and now... the man behind the curtain!

For more info on the iron panels,

give us a call or drop us a line

here @ Black Dog Salvage

Happy Birthday Sally, the Salvage Dog!

Our sweet Sally turns five this Saturday!

Here she is as a pup with the original Black Dog, Molly.

In honor of Sally's birthday,

receive a 20% discount* THIS SATURDAY (9/12)

with any pet food donation.

minimum 8lb+ bag / 6+cans

We promise not to make you sing 'Happy Birthday'!

All donations will go towards the

Roanoke Valley SPCA's PET (Pets Eat Too) Program.

* since Sally is watching her weight and is prone to food allergies,

please no treats for the birthday girl!

*discounts may vary by vendor

Star City Alley Cat Race - Keirin Culture @ Black Dog Salvage

this looks like a ton of fun

and better yet... for a good cause!

Race starts @ Keirin Culture

Friday, September 18th - 6pm

located here at Black Dog Salvage

This is a race to simulate a day in the life of a bike messenger. There will be 6 stops around the city which will be announced at the start of the event. You get to choose what you think will be the fastest order to complete the race. Some stops will involve a task to complete before getting a signature to move on. After the race is what is known as a skid competition for brakless fixed gear bikes. The longest skid wins. We'll also have a fixed gear trick competition. This is a great way to get a glimpse of the world of bikes that you may have never seen.Meet at the shop at 6 with the race to start about 6:30. Stops will be concentrated in the downtown/old sw/grandin areas so learn it if you're out of town. Prizes for top fixed/single, geared, out-of-towner, and woman. Skid comp right behind the shop after the race. $5 entry and it all goes to putting a metal roof on a free community trade school in Ghana.

A History Lesson

This has not a thing to do with architectural salvage

but instead is an opportunity to help

1st graders with a lesson in history!

My dear friend Cammie (we met in 2nd grade - talk about history!)

teaches 1st grade in Atlanta. Here's a letter she sent home

with her students. Thought it might be fun to post this blog with the hopes

that some of you in far and interesting places might like to participate!

I'd love to surprise her with more postcards - hope you can help!

see below...

Dear Parents,

As we prepare to kick off our study of maps, I thought it would be a lot of fun to involve our friends and families (both near and far!) with a class postcard collection. Please invite your friends and family to send us postcards from their hometowns/states or places they visit throughout the year. This will be an ongoing activity throughout the entire school year. I will post a map of the United States in the classroom, and as postcards are delivered to our class, we will talk about that particular location and find it on the map. Please feel free to forward this to out-of-town friends and family. I can’t wait to see what type of response we get!

Our school address is:
Mrs. Johnston’s First Grade Class
6391 E. Cherokee Drive
Canton GA 30115

Thank you in advance for your participation! Just think, if every family could have two postcards sent to our class, we could learn about 44 places!

Sincerely,
Cammie Johnston

Antique Wrought Iron & Chestnut 'Lotus' Coffee Table

Sally would like to present our newest custom coffee table

made in our shop using

antique wrought iron

and salvaged chestnut

the iron has a lotus design,
a symbol of rebirth and renewal

available here @ Black Dog Salvage
$495

Vintage Trolley Door Stepback Cupboard

here's the latest from our shop

a salvaged trolley door from Richmond, VA

made into a stepback cupboard


with salvaged bead board and barnwood
and plenty of storage

perfect for a pantry, kitchen, powder room, foyer or mudroom

available here @ Black Dog Salvage

for other trolley door projects,

click HERE and HERE

Old Windows as Space Dividers via Apartment Therapy

found via Apartment Therapy

c.1870 Antique Fireplace Mantel

charming mantle... just arrived!

c. 1870

delicate details

stunning simplicity
$475
Black Dog Salvage

'The Dot Spot' Returns to Black Dog Salvage!

We knew (had hoped) that Courtney's hiatus wouldn't last long.

The Dot Spot is officially back in the

Black Dog Salvage Marketplace!

She started back slowly

with new fishies and sculptures

and has now grown back into a full booth

with reclaimed furniture.

For a sneak peak... see above for a

Burled Dresser

$225

Check back often for new finds!

Spot a Black Dog Salvage Tshirt WIN A BLACK DOG SALVAGE TSHIRT!

Black Dog Salvage co-owners Mike & Robert

are heading to Atlanta this weekend

to cheer on the HOKIES vs. BAMA

at Georgia Tech.

If you spot a Black Dog Salvage tshirt (or hat)
at the game, email us a picture
and WIN A FREE TSHIRT (or hat)!

GO HOKIES!!!

under $100: Hardware via Design*Sponge

click HERE for a great guide

to hardware under $100

i would like one of each, thank you!

originally found via DesignCrush