In the early 1890’s, Scottish-born inventor, John Thomson invented a revolutionary new water meter that would have a significant impact on health in the United States. However, in order to produce enough water meters for the masses, Thomson enlisted the help of Architect Louis E. Jallade to design the and lead the construction of the Thomson Meter Building located in the now very popular, Dumbo, Brooklyn. Although Thomson’s water meter was revolutionary in the early 1900’s, it seems as though his meters are not in use or even remembered today. So the question is, “Why is Thomson Water more significant now than ever before?”. Little did John Thomson know that it would be the Thomson Water Building, that produced his water meters, itself that would have the most lasting impact on his legacy.
Until the late 1800’s water meters were fairly uncommon in everyday life, in fact, the only places water meters were commonly found were in large industrial and commercial buildings. In addition to it’s scarcity, water meters were also extremely complex, overwhelmingly large and susceptible to damage caused by common events like bad weather. John Thomson seeing both the need for water meters in common households and the flaws in the prototypical design of water meters, created a new water meter that would even gain recognition in the Universal Exposition of Paris. Thomson’s new water meter was made of a lightweight material with a very simple design and reinforced plastic that could withstand most storms and bad conditions. Most importantly, it was the perfect size and fit for the common household and plumbing system that would popularize Thomson’s meters. While Thomson’s new water meter was being used all over the country, it had the most immediate effect in the western region of the United States. Prior to Thompson’s water meter, the regions in the west had critical issues like rampant water shortages and contaminated water from industrial buildings. With Thomson’s water meter being installed in nearly all homes in these regions, water usage could be effectively monitored and, in turn, be restricted when overused. In addition, the water supply no longer had contamination issues from the water meters due to the durable design of Thomson’s meters. While Thomson’s water meters had an undeniable impact in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, his meters were eventually replaced by better and more advanced meters.
Despite the replacement of Thomson’s water meter with more modernized ones, the name somehow is still relevant today. However, instead of Thomson’s actual invention garnering the attention, it is the factory that created the meters that seems to be relevant even 100 years after it’s completion. The architect Thomson hired to design his new factory building in Brooklyn was 32-year-old Louis E. Jallade. The four-story building, which covered nearly half the block, was made entirely of reinforced concrete and was filled in a very peculiar way. Both the walls and the columns were poured in at the same time to ensure a homogenous structure that would not require a surface layer to even up the joints. Perhaps the most prominent features of the building are its beautiful polychrome terra cotta design on the top of it’s arches and the building’s rough and exposed columns that had little to no finish on them. The building also has large, paneled windows with patterned brick tapestry both above and below each window. Unsurprisingly, the revolutionary design of Jallade’s design both praise and harsh criticism. The most prominent criticism was Jallade’s use of reinforced concrete on the entirety of the building’s exterior. At the time there was a large divide in the architectural world on the use of reinforced concrete. Critics claimed that concrete was aesthetically inferior to other materials and that concrete was “in no way fit for the more serious, monumental and classical buildings”.
The long history of the Thomson Water Meter building continued even after Thomson had sold the factory. The building was used as a factory for nearly four decades after the Eskimo Pie Company bought the building in 1927 and has had numerous industrial companies use the building since. However, in 2003, the Landmarks Preservation Committee held a public hearing that would eventually select the building to be given the “Landmark Status”. Under this status, the building has been protected from commercial use and was sanctioned purely for public viewing. Despite the century-long history the ThomsonWater Meter building has had, it has finally been recognized as one of the most beautiful designs in a historically beautiful city.
Sources:
Landmark Preservation Designation Report
http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/2004ThomsonMeter.pdf
Thomson’s Water Meter Patent
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5261275A/en
Universal Exposition Paris, Volume 3. Page 241
https://books.google.com/books?id=KbFIAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=Thomson+water+meters&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJ-Y38i87VAhUE64MKHbGWDtoQ6AEIUzAI#v=onepage&q=Thomson%20water%20meters&f=false