Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company (1895-1964)
The Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company built a new plant in Coraopolis in 1895. The company operated in Coraopolis continuously until a fire destroyed the plant in 1963 — with the exception of a hiatus from 1932 to 1936 due to the Great Depression, according to the Heinz History Center. They have more info and photos of items made by the Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company.
By 1910, Consolidated was the largest lighting glass company in the United States.
A few resources with detailed information about the Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company:
- By 1910, Consolidated was the largest glass firm in the United States. post by Harry L. Rinker archival copy (2025)
- archival copy (2023) of article from Glass Lovers Class Database
- Vintage Con Cora or Cora Cocktailware?
- Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company: The Early Years (1893 TO 1910) archival copy (2025)
- Consolidated Glass – The Deco Years (1925-1931) archival copy (2025)
- Article from The Glass Encyclopedia archival copy (2025)
What did their products look like?
There is an assortment of tableware in this color advertisement for Consolidated Lamp and Glass, Co from a collection at Duke. This advertisement is estimated to be from 1895-1900.
When did Consolidated Lamp and Glass catch fire and shut down?
Both 1963 and 1964 are cited. In the article from the Glass Lovers Glass Database, labor disputes are listed as part of why the plant closed in 1964.
An earlier fire, New Year’s Day 1948
According to January 2, 1948 issue of the Lancaster New Era, the Consolidated Lamp and Glass company plant caught fire on New Year’s Day 1948 and the interior of a two-story building was destroyed.
The Progress in Clearfield, PA reported on the fire, noting that the alarm had to be sounded three times.
Why “consolidated”?
The company was named when Fostoria Shade and Lamp Company merged with Wallace & McAfee at the end of 1893.
Why glass?
Pittsburgh has long been a big player in glassmaking. According to Glass from the past from the Trib:
- By the end of the Civil War, glassworks in Allegheny County alone accounted for nearly 30 percent of all the glass produced in the United States.
- By 1920, a whopping 80 percent of all glass made in America came from the Western Pennsylvania-Eastern Ohio-West Virginia Panhandle region.
The Factory in Coraopolis
Scrolling through old newspapers, we see that various social groups took tours of the factory.
There is a still image from 1906 of the Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company plant in Coraopolis, PA.
A May 1907 feature on Coraopolis in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes the exchange between the citizens of Coraopolis and the company — land for jobs and exposure.
1911
The Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company’s Coraopolis factory as shown in the June 1911 Sanborn Fire Insurance map.
Additional Information
- The company had over 400 employees.
- Phoenix ^ Consolidated Glass Collectors Club on Facebook