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Sayre and Fisher Reading Room
Sayreville Hall |
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| Location: | Main Street and River Road Sayreville, New Jersey |
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| Built: | 1883 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 79001511[1] |
| NJRHP #: | 1931[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | September 12, 1979 |
| Designated NJRHP: | July 5, 1979 |
The Sayre and Fisher Reading Room, in Sayreville, New Jersey was constructed in 1883 for recreational use and for showcasing the Sayre and Fisher Brick Company ornamental products.[3] Also known as Sayreville Hall, it was listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Sayre and Fisher Brick Company was established around 1850 by Joseph R. Sayre, Jr., and Peter Fisher.[4] and later became one of the USA's leading manufacturers of building brick. fire brick, and enamel brick. In 1876 the area around the village then known as Wood’s Landing was renamed Sayreville, after the company’s cofounder.[3] It eventually acquired most factories along the Raritan River, and 1905 operated a two-mile-long complex with 13 separate yards.[4] By 1912, production reached 62 million bricks a year, providing employment for a large part of local population, some of whom living in company housing. The complex included a power plant, granary, a bakery, a slaughterhouse, a coal yard, an ice plant, a general store, a machine shop, and a blacksmith shop. Among the structures built with bricks from the company are the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the base of the Statue of Liberty[5] and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[6] Brick manufacturing declined in the Depression, but recovered and stayed profitable into the 1960s. The Sayre and Fisher plant closed in 1970. While most industrial buildings were razed, along with the reading room, some housing buildings remain.[3] The water tower has been restored.[5]