Pacific Clay Products, founded 1892, was created by the merger of several Southern California potteries. The company began producing utilitarian

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

in the 1920s, and introduced solid color

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

dinnerware in 1932. The primary site for the production of ceramic

tableware Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, List of glassware, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variet ...

kitchenware :'' For a record label, see Kitchenware Records'' Kitchenware are the tools, utensils, appliances, dishes, and cookware used in food preparation, or the serving of food. Kitchenware can also be used in order to hold or store food before or af ...

, and art ware was based in the company's

Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles Lincoln Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was originally called "East Los Angeles" from 1873 to 1917. It is a densely populated, mostly Latino and Asian neighborhood. It includes many histori ...

plant at 306 West Avenue 26. Pacific Clay ceased production of

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

dinnerware and art ware in 1942. After 1942, Pacific Clay produced sewer tile and brick. The company ceased production of sewer tile in 1997. The company continues to produce brick products in Lake Elsinore, California. The company has been owned by David H. Murdock since 1973. Pacific Pottery Pan

History

Founded in 1892 with the merger of several Southern California companies, Pacific Clay Products was one of the "Big Five" Southern California potteries in the production of ceramic tableware, kitchenware, and art wares from 1930 to 1942. The "Big Five" Southern California potteries were

Metlox Metlox Pottery, strictly speaking Metlox Manufacturing Company, was a manufacturer of ceramic housewares, located at 1200 Morningside Drive, Manhattan Beach, California. The pottery factory closed in 1989. History Metlox Pottery was founded in ...

Vernon Kilns Vernon Kilns was an American ceramic company in Vernon, California. In July 1931, Faye G. Bennison purchased the former Poxon China pottery renaming the company Vernon Kilns. Poxon China was located at 2300 East 52nd Street. Vernon produced cer ...

, Gladding, McBean & Co., J.A. Bauer Pottery, and Pacific Clay Products. Pacific pottery oil jar

Early pottery products manufactured in the 1920s were utilitarian ware including bowls, mugs, and poultry feeders. The company also produced hand-thrown vases and garden ware pots. In 1932, Pacific introduced mix and match brightly solid colored tableware and art ware. The solid-colored tableware was sold as "Hostessware." In 1935, Pacific introduced hand-painted patterns on the Hostessware shape in various plaid, floral, and fruit designs. By 1937, Pacific introduced the Coralitos and Arcadia lines, a more delicate earthenware body in solid colors. In 1941, hand-painted patterns on the Coralitos and Arcadia shapes were introduced: Grape, Strawberry, Hibiscus, French Ivy, and Shasta Daisy. Pacific Clay Products' art ware lines were introduced around 1932. The art ware lines, marketed as Pacific Pottery, included a wide variety of shapes for vases,

figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...

s, flower bowls, candleholders, planters and flower frogs for the retail and florist trade. In October 1942, all dinnerware and art ware was discontinued due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as the company retooled for the production of war materials for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

government. Pacific Clay Products never produced tableware or art ware again. Pacific Clay produced sewer pipe until 1997 in

Corona, California Corona (Spanish for "Crown") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. The cities of Norco and Riverside lie to the north and north ...

. In 1963, Pacific Clay bought the Los Angeles Brick Company in Alberhill, California. In 1973, David H. Murdock bought Pacific Clay and took the company private. In 1996, the company built a new state-of-the-art brick factory and produces brick products.

References

Sources

* Chipman, Jack. ''Collectors Encyclopedia of California Pottery, Second Edition''. Collector Books (1998) * Chipman, Jack. ''California Pottery Scrapbook: Identification and Value Guide''. Collector Books (2004) * Snyder, Jeffrey B. ''Pacific Pottery, Tableware from the 1920s, '30s, '40s ...and more!'' Schiffer Pub Ltd (2000) * Stern, Bill. ''California Pottery: From Missions to Modernism Chronicle Books'' (2001) {{ISBN, 0-8118-3068-3

External links

Pacific Clay Products
''Note: Company records or archives regarding the dinnerware division no longer exist.'' Ceramics manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Riverside County, California Kitchenware brands