 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Architectural manufacturer |
| Predecessors | Celadon Terra Cotta Company, Ludowici Roofing Tile Company, Celadon Roofing Tile Company, Ludowici-Celadon Inc. |
| Founded | 1888 (1888),Alfred, New York, U.S. |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people |
|
| Products | Roofing Tile, Floor Tile, Wall Cladding |
| Website | ludowici |
Ludowici Roof Tile, LLC., based inNew Lexington, Ohio, is an American manufacturer ofclayroof tiles, floor tiles, and wall cladding. The company was established in 1888 with the formation of the Celadon Terra Cotta Company inAlfred, New York. It has created tiles for many prominent buildings throughout the United States.[1]
Carl Ludowici was amachinist inEnsheim,Germany and in 1857, he purchased a local roof tile factory, upgrading it with machines of his design, and founded theCarl Ludowici Ziegelwerke. The firm moved to a factory inLudwigshafen in 1861 and gradually expanded, largely due to the innovative nature of Ludowici's steam-powered tile press. After Carl died in 1881, his sons, Wilhelm and Franz, took over the company, with Franz taking over business management and Wilhelm leading design and development. The company largely relocated toJockgrim, where it grew into one of the major German tile manufacturers of its era.[2][3]
In 1893, the Ludowicis licensed their patents and designs to the newly formed Ludowici Roofing Tile Company ofChicago. This company exhibited tiles at theWorld's Columbian Exposition that year, and with its factory inChicago Heights, grew to become a leading producer of roof tiles by the turn of the century.[4][5]
Ludowici built a factory in the unincorporated community of Liberty City,Georgia, in 1902. As a tribute to the company, the city was incorporated asLudowici, Georgia, in 1905.
In 1888, a sculpting professor atAlfred University inAlfred, New York, found that the local supply of clay was well-suited for ornamental sculpting work, and found other local investors to form the Celadon Terra Cotta Company, named for the green hue the clay took on whensalt-fired.[6] After visiting a friend in the area,George Herman Babcock became interested in the possibilities of terra cotta and bought stock, eventually becoming the president of the company. As president, he filed patents for multiple profiles of tile, such as the Conosera tile and unique combination tiles with different designs but a standard base, allowing for multiple styles of interlocking tile to be used on the same roof.[7][8]
Babcock died in 1893, but the company continued to grow as it shifted focus towards roofing tile and was renamed the Celadon Roofing Tile Company in 1900.[9] Shortly after this, theNew York State School of Clay-Working and Ceramics was established at Alfred University following lobbying effort by Celadon executives and others. The presence of this school allowed the company to collaborate with leading ceramicists of the time such asCharles Fergus Binns, who did extensive consulting work with Celadon.[10]
The Celadon Company purchased the Imperial Clay Company in 1905 and gained its factory inNew Lexington, Ohio.[11]
In 1906, the companies merged to form the Ludowici-Celadon Company.[12] A plant inCoffeyville, Kansas, was purchased in 1908, and in 1909, the factory in Alfred, New York, burned to the ground. The company never rebuilt in the village, but the original Celadon Company office survived and remains there to this day.[13]
The factory in Ludowici, Georgia, largely produced tiles for regional sales and had seen a decline in demand since completing tiles for thePanama Canal Zone. In October 1913, the factory closed, and the next month, the Ludowici-Celadon factory in Chicago Heights burned down, leaving the company with only its factories in New Lexington and Coffeyville.[14][15]
The company grew through the first quarter of the century and was helped by the popularity of traditional terra cotta in the architecture of the 1920s. Ludowici-Celadon tapped into this interest in 1929 by releasingThe Tuileries Brochures, which contained articles written by prominent authors and architects such asAymar Embury II,Frederick Ackerman,Jacques Carlu, andHilaire Belloc.[16][17]
DuringWorld War II, the company suffered a decline in domestic construction and supplemented its limited production of roof tile by temporarily opening pottery divisions in New Lexington and Coffeyville. Among other things, these produced licensed cookie jars forWalt Disney.[18]
In 1956, the factory in Coffeyville, Kansas, was closed due to declining demand for terra cotta tile. In 1976, Ludowici-Celadon was acquired by CSC Inc. of Chicago.[19][20] The company experienced growth in the 1980s, driven by a growing interest in historic restoration, and in 1986, it sponsored a competition and exhibit with theNational Building Museum on architectural terra cotta ornamentation.[21] CSC sold Ludowici-Celadon toCertainTeed, a division ofSaint-Gobain, in 1989.[22]
CertainTeed shortened Ludowici-Celadon's name to Ludowici Roof Tile in 1994. Around 2002, Ludowici's management was transferred from CertainTeed to Terreal, another Saint-Gobain subsidiary. When Terreal spun off from Saint-Gobain in 2003, Ludowici went with it.[23]
Ludowici introduced wall cladding tile, and in 2007, it opened its first showroom in a renovated former shipping building at its New Lexington factory.[24] A larger showroom was opened inDallas, Texas, in 2019 to serve as a showcase for architects and designers in the area.[25] TheLudowici Roof Tile Company Historic District was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 2021.[26]
In 2024, Terreal and its subsidiaries were acquired byWienerberger, and Ludowici's management transitioned toGeneral Shale.[27]
Ludowici has created tiles for prominent buildings throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, including theWhite House, thePennsylvania State Capitol, thePlaza Hotel, theNew York Life Building, theNew York State Capitol,Wrigley Field and many buildings atWalt Disney World.[28][29][30][31][32][33]
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