William Summerhays Sons Records

William Summerhays Sons was a Rochester, New York masonry firm that focused on work in refractory brick (brick that can withstand high temperatures). As such, they constructed, maintained, and demolished such structures as industrial ovens and smokestacks. William Summerhays was an English immigrant mason who arrived in Rochester in 1856. Initially, he focused on erecting ovens in bakeries. Later, his company expanded into constructing brickwork around boilers and, ultimately, smokestacks. The company also installed industrial boilers and the equipment needed to support them, such as condensers, dust collectors, and ductwork. Summerhays also carried out insulation work on piping.

William Summerhays Sons was best known for their work on large smokestacks, including those of Kodak Corporation, the Gleason Works, and the Rochester Gas & Electric Company’s Russell Station generating plant. The company worked on projects as far afield as Michigan, Virginia, and Maine. The company maintained its operations at 620 Clinton Avenue South from 1888 until it closed; corporate offices were downtown (Smith’s Arcade; later 1 Exchange Street) until 1927. A family business, at least five generations of the Summerhays family were involved in its operations. Ultimately, the company was taken over by Joseph Monachino, who led it until it closed down in the 2010s.