Antique Cast Iron Parrot Door Stop Albany Foundry Company ca 1924
This doorstop was illustrated in the Albany Foundry catalog of 1924. Some original paint remains with significant losses. Dimensions: 7.25 in. H x 3-3/8 in. Diameter, measured at base. Weight, unpacked: 3 lbs. Gately founded the Albany Foundry Company in 1897. The works, located on Van Renssalaer Island in the town of Rennsalaer, NY, sat on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just outside the City of Albany. During its early years, the foundry specialized in the production of cast iron stoves. By 1904, it began to expanding its product line to include other items such as doorstops, bookends, hitching posts, and fire place hardware. The facility burned to the ground on June 14, 1911, following an explosion at the nearby Albany Chemical Works. Van Loon in 1912. Van Loon, a local celebrity and member of a long-established Dutch colonial family, rebuilt the facility and ran it successfully until its doors closed in 1932. The foundry was known for producing decorative castings (like doorstops and bookends) in grey iron that buyers could paint and decorate themselves.