Guide to the Oversized Collection of the Aluminum Company of America (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 1884-1991
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Aluminum Company of America Oversize Records
- Creator
- Aluminum Company of America
- Collection Number
- MSO#282
- Extent
- 3.0 cubic feet (3 Boxes)
- Date
- 1884-1991
- Abstract
- The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), formerly the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, was formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1888. The company was founded by George H. Clapp, Millard Hunsicker, Alfred E. Hunt, Horace W. Lash, W.S. Sample, and Robert J. Scott. The Oversized Collection consists of blueprints, maps, posters, charts, clippings, advertisements and awards. The collection also contains a number of enlarged reproductions of charts and clippings, primarily for display value.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History of the Aluminum Company of America 1888-1998
The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), formerly the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, was incorporated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1888. The company was founded by George H. Clapp, Millard Hunsicker, Captain Alfred E. Hunt, Horace W. Lash, W.S. Sample, and Robert J. Scott, who contributed a total of $20,000 in capital. The formation of the company was made possible by a new process of smelting aluminum which was invented by Charles Martin Hall. On February 23, 1886, while working in a woodshed of his kitchen in Oberlin, Ohio, Charles Hall discovered an inexpensive way to smelt aluminum. Previously, aluminum was considered a semiprecious metal because of the expense involved in producing it. The discovery of an inexpensive way to smelt the metal ushered in a new era for aluminum.
The Pittsburgh Reduction Company built its first facility at the 3200 block of Smallman Street in Pittsburgh in 1888. The demand for aluminum was increasing and by September 1890 the Smallman Street Works was turning out 5,000 pounds a month. At the same time, the demand for capital was increasing. The Pittsburgh Reduction Company borrowed money from some Pittsburgh businessmen, such as David L. Gillespie, a prosperous lumber dealer, and William Thaw, of a coke and railroad business family. The company also began what would become a long lasting business relationship with the Pittsburgh banking house of T. Mellon Sons when Charles Hall sold some of his stock to the bank. In 1889 the company increased the capital stock to $1 million. With the development of relations with the banking house of T. Mellon Sons the company became more formally organized. Captain Hunt, in addition to being president, would become general manager. Charles Hall was vice president of technical operations and Arthur Davis became assistant general manager.
In 1891 the company, to allow for expanded production, moved its plant to New Kensington, 17 miles up the Allegheny River. The company began producing cast products (such as teakettles) and aluminum sheeting, as well as raw aluminum and in 1899 it acquired its first bauxite mining rights. The company grew and by 1907 included a reduction operation at Niagara Falls (NY), the Aluminum Cooking Utensil Company (PA), the East St. Louis Works (IL), the Massena Works (NY) , the St. Lawrence River Power Company, and the Massena Terminal Railroad. The company had numerous mines, alumina plants, hydroelectric facilities, aluminum smelters and fabricating facilities, and the Alcoa Technical Center (in Pittsburgh) for laboratory research and development. In 1907 the Pittsburgh Reduction Company changed its name to the Aluminum Company of America.
Starting in the early twentieth century Alcoa began to expand its operations overseas. Between 1920 to 1928 Alcoa set up sales offices and established operations, from ore deposits to fabricating facilities, in Europe as well as Canada and the Caribbean. By 1930 Alcoa had over half the total world capacity in primary aluminum. Alcoa had marketed itself worldwide and aluminum became one of the most versatile and manufactured metals. Aluminum was used in buildings, airplanes, automobiles, furniture, roofing, tube and foil, impact extrusions, rolled structural shapes, electrical transmission, cooking utensils and high-fashion giftware. Additionally, Alcoa owned facilities involved in every aspect of aluminum production, from bauxite mining to hydroelectric power to fabrication plants. By the 1930s Alcoa had established a significant hold over virtually every phrase of the aluminum production which brought it to the attention of the federal government.
Beginning in 1912 Alcoa was involved in an antitrust suit filed by the United States government on the grounds of monopolistic practices involving restrictive covenants with suppliers. From 1922 to 1930 Federal Trade Commission investigations brought further accusations of unfair competition and discrimination. Finally, in 1937, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint charging the company with monopolizing interstate commerce in over fifteen markets and commodities and engaging in conspiracies with foreign producers. The trial lasted thirteen years, including appeals, with the final court decision in 1951 absolving Alcoa of wrongdoing. Two major ramifications of the anti-trust suit were the divestiture of aluminum war plants to Alcoa's competitors and the disposal of common stock holdings in Aluminum Limited by Alcoa's major stockholders. No longer did Alcoa have such complete holdings over the aluminum market that they had enjoyed in previous years.
After 1950 the company continued to thrive and grow. Alcoa produced more consumer goods and developed innovative ways to market aluminum. The company sponsored weekly television shows, developed more home products, such as roofing, windows and aluminum siding, and stretched the limit of aluminum. They developed key marketing strategies such as the "Alcoa Care-Free Home" and "Forecast" programs. In 1952 Alcoa built a new corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh. The company erected a thirty story aluminum building in the center of Pittsburgh's downtown center. It was a technical triumph and architectural masterpiece that enhanced Alcoa's image. In 1962 Alcoa moved into the design of aluminum ends for tin-plate cans in the beer industry. By the end of 1963 the aluminum top had been adopted by most brewers and was used on forty percent of all U.S. beer cans. Alcoa then began construction on producing an all aluminum can. While Alcoa decided not to pursue the business of producing aluminum cans, the company built facilities to manufacture the sheet metal used in the cans. Alcoa's involvement in the aluminum can business also led the way to its involvement in packing of all kinds. Packaging included foil, collapsible tubes, and composite containers for all manner of consumer goods. By the 1980s packaging and containers would produce more revenues for Alcoa than its other major markets in transportation, electrical equipment, and construction combined. Another aspect of aluminum cans and packaging was aluminum recycling. In the 1970s Alcoa followed Reynolds' initiative and began to develop new recycling technologies.
From the 1980 to 1990s Alcoa pursued high-technology businesses on a wide front, from the aerospace industry to military applications. The company also continued its sales in packaging, automobiles, construction, vinyl siding, plastic bottles, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. By 1998 the company included 215 operating locations, 103,500 employees in 31 countries, and revenues over $15 billion. Alcoa's current (1999) president and chief executive officer is Alain J.P. Belda who succeeded Paul H. O'Neill in 1999. In 1998 the company built a $57 million Corporate Center on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh. Once again Alcoa used technical innovations in achieving this glass and aluminum architectural masterpiece.
Scope and Content Notes
The Aluminum Company of America Oversize Records consist of blueprints, maps, posters, charts, clippings, advertisements and awards. The collection contains a number of enlarged reproductions of charts and clippings, primarily for display value. The blueprints and maps are a good source of research material for those interested in the various plant structures and facilities. The Marketing and Research Series contain a number of advertisements and blueprints of aluminum products. There are various newspaper clippings in the Alcoa Plants and Subsidiaries Series, and contain articles on the Alcoa plants and other topics. Though not substantial on its own, the Oversized Collection contains materials which correlate to and enhance the corresponding manuscript (MSS#282) collection.
Arrangement
The Aluminum Company of America Oversized Collection is arranged alphabetically according to the series and subseries groupings of MSS#282.
The Aluminum Company of America Oversized Collection is housed in 3 archival boxes and is arranged alphabetically according to the series and subseries groupings of MSS#282. The larger items are arranged to the rear.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acc# 1996.070, Gift of the Aluminum Company of America, (Pittsburgh, Pa.).1996
Preferred Citation
Aluminum Company of America Oversize Records, 1884-1991, MSO#282, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Renee Savits on October 15, 1998.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Janet Begnoche on November 16, 1999.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.