Denny-Renton Clay and Coal Company, founded in 1892 as Denny Clay Company, was the largest producer of brick pavers in the world by 1905. An industry journal said in 1909 "The clay products of this company have long been a standard for general excellence in Seattle and the entire northwest" and described its products: The factory in

Taylor, Washington Taylor is an extinct town in King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. History Denny-Renton Clay and Coal Co. brick and tile plant, Taylor, Washington. Taylor was laid out in 1893 as a company town by the Denny Clay Company after a railway ...

, was near heavy glacial clay deposits in an high bank used to make the brick, and could produce 100,000 bricks a day in 1907. Hydraulic mining was used to extract clay from the hill. The factory produced 58 million bricks in 1917. It was closed when Taylor was condemned to become part of Seattle's Cedar River watershed in 1947.

History

The company was founded by Seattle founder

Arthur A. Denny Arthur Armstrong Denny (June 20, 1822 – January 9, 1899) was one of the founders of Seattle, Washington,, Special Collections, Washington State Historical Society (WSHS). Accessed online 8 March 2008. the acknowledged leader of the pioneer Den ...

in 1892 when he bought out predecessor company Puget Sound Fire Clay Company and named it Denny Clay Company. His son Orion O. Denny, who was the first baby boy born to the settlers of Seattle, became a vice-president of the company and president in 1899 when Arthur died. It merged with Renton Brick Works and was renamed Denny-Renton Clay and Coal Company. The company was bought by

Gladding, McBean Gladding, McBean is a ceramics company located in Lincoln, California. It is one of the oldest companies in California, a pioneer in ceramics technology, and a company which has "contributed immeasurably" to the state's industrialization. During ...

in 1927 and ceased to exist as a separate operation.

Legacy in Seattle architecture

Ornamental

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

from the Renton factory and other local factories is found in unusual abundance in buildings in Downtown Seattle, exemplified by the 1916

Arctic Building The Arctic Club Building is a ten-story hotel in Seattle, Washington located at the Northeast corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. Built in 1914 for the Arctic Club, a social group established by wealthy individuals who experienced Alaska's ...

, and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

buildings designed by

Bebb and Gould Bebb and Gould was an American architectural partnership active in Seattle, Washington from 1914 to 1939. Partners Charles Herbert Bebb and Carl Freylinghausen Gould were jointly responsible for the construction of many buildings on the Univers ...

. The Indian head decoration on the Cobb Building and the Henry-White-Stuart buildings (now demolished) may have used Denny-Renton terra cotta. Pike Place Market, built in 1907, is paved with Denny Renton bricks.

Renton brickworks today

The location of the former Renton

brickworks A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a quarry for ...

() is now a

dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a 4' to 6' fence, separate double-gated ...

in Renton on the

Cedar River Trail The Cedar River Regional Trail is a partially paved rail trail in Washington. The Cedar River Trail was the former mainline of the Milwaukee Road. It is open for non-motorized use and parallels State Route 169 for much of its length. It conne ...

, near its crossing with I-405.

References

Bibliography * * * *

External links

Museums 101: Renton History Museum (Photo Diary)
By Ojibwa Sunday Aug 24, 2014 Daily Kos
Paving the way: King County bricks built roads around the world
Black Diamond Historical Society, December 7, 2014 {{Authority control Defunct companies based in Seattle Non-renewable resource companies disestablished in 1927 American companies established in 1892 Non-renewable resource companies established in 1892 1892 establishments in Washington (state) 1927 disestablishments in Washington (state)