Ornamental sheet metal in the United States, 1870-1930

This is a brief history of the ornamental sheet metal industry in the United States in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. Sheet metal was used for such practical purposes as roofing, guttering and drain pipes, and had some fine arts applications such as sheet metal statuary. The focus here, however, is on the use of ornamental metal for cornices, building fronts, and exterior and interior cladding. Today, while examples of the architectural use of ornamental sheet metal are widespread, there is little modern scholarship on the subject. This study is based on a review of building periodicals of the period, on the examination of trade catalogues promoting the industry, on interviews with men who remember the trade, and on documentation of buildings where the material was used.