W. A. Case & Son Manufacturing Co.
| Company type | Private (historical) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Plumbing fixtures, metal fabrication |
| Founded | 1853 in Buffalo, New York, United States |
| Founder | Whitney Asa Case |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Fate | Brand discontinued after acquisition by Briggs Manufacturing Company |
| Headquarters | Buffalo , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, parts of South America |
Key people | Whitney Asa Case (founder), Whitney G. Case (leader) |
| Products | Plumbing fixtures, boilers, radiators, copper products, porcelain toilets and sinks |
Number of employees | 2000 (1948) |
| Parent | Ogden Corporation (1952–1964), Briggs Manufacturing Company (1964–1969) |
W. A. Case & Son Manufacturing, often referred to simply as Case, was a prominent American producer of plumbing fixtures. Established in 1853 by industrialist Whitney Asa Case in Buffalo, New York, the firm initially specialized in manufacturing boilers, radiators, and heavy coppersmith work tailored for steamboats and locomotives. By the time of Whitney A. Case’s passing in 1892, the company had earned a strong reputation for its expertise in metal fabrication.
Leadership under his son, Whitney G. Case, saw a strategic pivot toward plumbing and residential markets. By 1910, the company had become the nation's leading supplier of copper products for engineers and plumbers. By 1948, it maintained 23 operational sites and employed approximately 2,000 personnel, catering to an extensive national clientele. Ownership changed hands from Ogden Corporation (1952–1964) to Briggs Manufacturing Company (1964–1969), after which the Case brand was discontinued.
Overview
During the 1910s and 1920s, the company broadened its product portfolio to include porcelain toilets and sinks through acquisitions such as James M. Teahen's enterprise in 1917 and the Fred Adee Corporation in 1926—a key wholesaler serving the Greater New York City area. Teahen was instrumental in developing Case’s toilet division by creating the pioneering one-piece "low boy" toilet design, which combined all components into a single bowl and body unit rather than utilizing a separate tank. Marketed as the Case "Model A" or "T/N water closet"—named after its inventor—this innovative toilet was later showcased in Arts & Architecture magazine's Case Study Houses, including Case Study House No. 1 and the Eames House.
While maintaining a modest pottery facility in Detroit, on November 1, 1925, Case acquired the Zwermann Company located in Robinson, Illinois, which became its primary pottery manufacturing division. At the time of Whitney G. Case’s death in 1948, the company operated 20 offices across the United States along with three factories situated in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Robinson, Illinois, and Boston, Massachusetts. Its distribution network extended to more than 2,800 wholesale customers throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and parts of South America.
In 1952, W. A. Case & Son was purchased by the Ogden Corporation (currently known as COVANTA). This acquisition reclassified Ogden from an investment holding entity to a manufacturing company under Securities Exchange Commission regulations. Ogden managed Case as a subsidiary under the name Case Plumbing Manufacturing Company until November 1964 when it sold the business to Briggs Manufacturing. Briggs integrated Case’s plumbing operations into its own and ultimately dissolved Case as an independent entity by 1969; however, Briggs continued to market products under the Case brand into the early 1970s. Despite having ceased operations over five decades ago, there remains ongoing demand for Case plumbing fixtures and replacement parts.
External links
- Case Toilet Part Guide, Locke Plumbing
- Case Water Closet advertisement, Historic New England
- 32 glorious colors in Case vitreous china plumbing fixtures, W. A. Case, via Internet Archive
- Complete architectural data on the T/N One-piece Water Closet, W. A. Case, via Internet Archive