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American Standard Company, Wauregan, Connecticut, Plant Records

 Collection
Identifier: 1989-0084

Scope and Content

The collection consists of a small series of plant, product and equipment photographs and a limited number of newspaper clippings and random newsletters. There is also one oversize poster and three video tapes. The latter have been catalogued separately and are located in the Dodd Video Collection.

Dates

  • circa 1950-1975

Access

The collection is open and available for research.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from the owner(s) of the copyright.

History

American Standard was created from the 1929 merger of the American Radiator Company and the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company. The Company was then known as American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation. It changed its name to American Standard in 1967 to reflect the Company's familiar plumbing products brand name. American Standard is the world's largest producer of bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings and one of the world's largest producers of air conditioning and heating systems. It is also the leading producer of braking systems and electronic controls for heavy-duty buses and trucks in Europe.

Three of the Company's business segments trace their origins to four major, pioneering companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: American Radiator Company, Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company, the Westinghouse Air Brake Company and the Trane Company.

Standard Sanitary was formed in 1899 in a merger of several companies manufacturing enameled-cast iron sanitaryware. Standard Sanitary pioneered many of the plumbing product improvements introduced in the early part of this century including the once piece toilet, built-in tubs, combination faucets and tarnish-proof, corrosion-proof chrome finishes for brass fittings.

Tracing its origins to 1881, American Radiator Company> manufactured radiator and other heating equipment The “Ideal” brand name used on many American Standard products outside of the United States came from an 1897 American Radiator acquisition, Ideal Boiler Company. American Radiator was an international pioneer establishing European manufacturing operations by 1910. None of American Radiator's product lines are now manufactured.

WABCO, formed in Pittsburgh in 1869, was the first of 72 companies founded by American inventor, George Westinghouse. The company's initial product was the railway air brake. WABCO built plants throughout Europe before world War I, and the company manufactured its first pneumatic brakes from commercial vehicles in 1921.

In 1913, James Trane and his son, Reuben, incorporated The Trane Company to produce a new type of low-pressure steam heating. The company became a pioneer in an entirely new field—air conditioning—with the development of the Trane Unit Cooler in 1931. American Standard and its 35 joint ventures operate 106 manufacturing facilities in 35 countries, employing 44,000. 1996 sales from the company's three business segments totaled $5.8 billion.

This collection documents the plant in Wauregan, Connecticut, which was built in 1957.

(Historical information on American Standard was located on the Company's webpage in January 1998.)

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

American Standard was created from the 1929 merger of the American Radiator Company and the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company. The Company was then known as American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation. It changed its name to “American Standard” in 1967 to reflect the Company's familiar plumbing products brand name. American Standard is the world's largest producer of bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings and one of the world's largest producers of air conditioning and heating systems. This collection documents the plant in Wauregan, Connecticut.

Acquisition Information

The records were transferred to Archives & Special Collections by the Museum of Connecticut History. Artifacts from the plant were retained by the Museum.

Separated Material

The following materials have been separated from the collection and cataloged:

Plaza Suite 1989-0084.vr1

Ceramix 1989-0084.vr2

Amarilis 1989-0084.vr3

Title
American Standard Company, Wauregan, Connecticut, Plant Records
Status
Published
Author
Archives & Special Collections staff
Date
1998 January
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Archives and Special Collections, University of Connecticut Library Repository

Contact:
University of Connecticut Library
405 Babbidge Road Unit 1205
Storrs Connecticut 06269-1205 USA US
860-486-2524