| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering and shipbuilding |
| Founded | 1816 |
| Founder | James P. Allaire |
| Defunct | 1869 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Marine steam engines, metal castings |
| Total assets | $300,000 (1842/1859) |
| Owner | James P. Allaire (1816-1850) Cornelius Vanderbilt (1850-1869) |
Number of employees | 1859: 500 1863: 850[1] |
The Allaire Iron Works was a leading 19th-century American marine engineering company based in New York City. Founded in 1816 by engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire, the Allaire Works was one of the world's first companies dedicated to the construction of marine steam engines, supplying the engines for more than 50% of all the early steamships built in the United States.[2]
James P. Allaire retired from the company in 1850 when it was taken over by Cornelius Vanderbilt. During Vanderbilt's ownership, the Allaire Iron Works made a significant contribution to the Union cause during the American Civil War. Following the war, the Allaire Works, like many other American marine engineering companies, fell on hard times, and in 1869 it was wound up, whereupon its equipment was purchased by John Roach, who also hired its best employees for his own company, the Morgan Iron Works.
Amongst the many notable achievements of the Allaire Works, it supplied the engine cylinder for the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, Savannah, pioneered the use of the compound engine in steamships, and built the engines for two winners of the coveted Blue Riband. The company also supplied the engines for at least 17 U.S. Navy warships during the American Civil War.