{"nrhp_refnum":"92001034","name":"Steubenville Pottery Company Buildings","other_names":["Varium &","Chemicals,Inc. Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Co. Rd. 44 SW of jct. with OH 7","address_restricted":false,"city":"Steubenville","county":"Jefferson County","state":"OH","lat":40.40095043500003,"lon":-80.62341514799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-07-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A pottery manufacturing complex on County Road 44 in the vicinity of Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, between the Ohio River and a railroad line. The main yellow-brick factory was built in 1925 and enlarged in 1946 and 1950 to about 133,000 square feet, with several smaller support structures.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the plant is significant under Criterion A for its role in Steubenville's industrial heritage, as one of few surviving industrial buildings in the city. It also notes the company's association with designer Russel Wright, whose American Modern dinnerware was made here from 1939 to 1959 and became the best-selling mass-produced dinnerware ever.","narrative":"Along the Ohio River north of Steubenville stands a large yellow-brick pottery factory begun in 1925 and expanded in 1946 and 1950 to roughly 133,000 square feet. Its design is plain and functional, with brick pilasters, industrial steel windows, a sawtooth roof on the 1946 addition, and a small 1950 office wing. Smaller resources on the site include a water tower and storage buildings. The Steubenville Pottery Company operated here after moving from its downtown site, becoming one of the major American dinnerware makers. The plant was listed for its place in Steubenville's industrial history, since most of the city's other factories have disappeared. It is also tied to industrial designer Russel Wright, who convinced the firm to produce his American Modern line starting in 1939. More than 80 million pieces were made here before the pottery closed in 1959. A chemical company has used the building since then.","period_of_significance":"1925-1942","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still used as a manufacturing facility by a chemical processing firm; several pottery kilns remain inside but other pottery-making equipment does not survive.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.767084-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/92001034.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001034/b6b4d35e0c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001034/b6b4d35e0c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"Nyttend, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steubenville_Pottery_Company_Buildings.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989492","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138379401"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/jefferson-county/steubenville-pottery-company-buildings-92001034/"}