HVAC History: United States Radiator Corporation

The American Radiator Company was officially formed in 1892 through the merger of five heating-related companies, most notably the Detroit Radiator Company. The goal was to unify the growing radiator and boiler manufacturing industry, which was becoming vital for heating homes, schools, and office buildings during the industrial expansion of the late 19th century.

By the early 1900s, the company had grown into a global leader in heating equipment. Right before the Panic of 1893 it had amassed nearly half a million in funding but with that event eclipsing the company it looked towards the east for expansion. In 1894, it opened its first European subsidiary in London, followed by major expansions into Germany (1901) and France (1905). This international reach made American Radiator not only dominant in the U.S. market but also a major player in Europe’s modernization of heating systems. The company’s cast iron radiators and low-pressure steam systems became standard in many buildings during this era.

Every year the Company would release books to its dealers known as “The Complete Line” which was a comprehensive catalog of their products (Fig. A). Coupled with that was the introduction of its initial emblem that would go out to be the imprint of its future branding (Fig. B). Along with that each unit would have two distinct dataplates that would accompany every radiator and boiler system they made (Fig. C) and (Fig. D).

Fig. A

Fig. B

Fig. C

Fig. D

The company also had brand partnerships with the National Radiator Company which never fully dissolved to the merger with US Radiator Corporation (Fig. E). (Fig. F) shows one their emblem when it had been produced in Columbus, Ohio.

Fig. E

Fig. F

In 1924, American Radiator established a new corporate headquarters in New York City, commissioning the famous American Radiator Building, designed by Raymond Hood and built in a striking black-and-gold Art Deco style. This building symbolized the company’s stature in American industry. Finally, in 1929, after nearly four decades as the world’s foremost radiator and boiler manufacturer, the American Radiator Company merged with Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company to form the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation which was a move that would eventually lead to the creation of what we know today as American Standard.