Teco Pottery
Active 1886-1930

William D. Gates founded the American Terra Cotta and Ceramic Company in 1886 in Terra Cotta, Illinois, near Chicago, to produce architectural tiles, which were in great demand. Gates later developed matte-glaze vases in classic architectural shapes, which he marketed under the Teco trade name. While a majority of the shapes were designed by Gates and his designers, he occasionally called on Architectural Club members, including Frank Lloyd Wright to design Teco shapes. Almost all of the early pieces of Teco art pottery were flower vases.