Revere Copper Products reconnects with Canton roots

The historic Revere rolling mill could soon have a new copper roof, thanks in part to Revere Copper Products Inc. (Photo courtesy of George T. Comeau)

It once covered the original wooden dome of the Massachusetts State House and protected the hull of the nation’s most famous war ship. And now that same, good old-fashioned, American-made Revere copper could be making its way home to Canton, thanks to a partnership forged between the town’s Paul Revere Heritage Commission and Revere Copper Products, Inc.

With the town having recently launched a massive revitalization effort/legacy project at the site of Paul Revere’s original copper mill on the banks of the Neponset River’s East Branch, John Bonnanzio, who serves on the Heritage Commission’s Building Use Committee, thought it would be a natural fit to collaborate with the present-day version of the company, which has since relocated to Rome, New York. So Bonnanzio put in a call this summer to Amy O’Shaughnessy, Revere’s marketing manager, and the company immediately and enthusiastically jumped on board.

Representatives from Revere Copper even took a trip out to Canton to visit the company’s birthplace — and likely future home of a heritage site and museum complex — and together they came up with an idea: A copper roof for the historic rolling mill on the site, with the copper sheets supplied by the Revere company.

“They were excited about the idea right out of the gate,” said Bonnanzio, “and that’s because they understood their history as well as the fact that I knew coming full circle back to their roots would strike a chord with them.”

According to Bonnanzio, all one has to do to recognize the value that the company places on its own history is to visit the Revere Copper Products website, which prominently features their slogan: “An American tradition since 1801,” along with an image of Revere on a horse. The company also has a logo featuring a silhouette of the famed patriot surrounded by stars, as well as a page dedicated to the history of Revere Copper dating back to its founding in Canton.

Today, according to the company website, Revere Copper Products is an employee-owned company that manufactures copper for the “architectural, electrical, telecommunications, air conditioning, industrial machinery, antimicrobial, and other emerging markets” in the U.S. and abroad. The company boasts over one million square feet of manufacturing space at its Rome, New York headquarters and utilizes a “hot rolling” process that hearkens back to the original rolling techniques employed by Paul Revere in Canton more than 200 years earlier.

The existing copper rolling mill at the Revere Heritage Site, which was subsequently used for decades by the Plymouth Rubber Company, is being totally refurbished and restored by the developer of the property before being turned over to the town. Both the mill and the surviving Revere barn, which is also being restored, were constructed in the mid 19th century by Paul Revere’s son, Joseph Warren Revere.

While no final decisions have been made as to the future use of either structure, both the Heritage Commission and the Canton Board of Selectmen are currently investigating the feasibility of constructing a museum and cultural center that would celebrate the property’s rich historical tradition and its ties to Paul Revere.

Yet even if the plans were to be modified or even scrapped altogether, Bonnanzio stressed that the rolling mill still needs a roof, and by going with copper rather than traditional roofing shingles, they could potentially extend the life of the roof by several decades, he said.

“I figure that this building is going to wind up in the hands of the town anyway, and by going this route, you’re probably going to have a roof on there for the next 80 years,” said Bonnanzio.

Of course, copper is considerably more expensive than traditional roofing shingles, and the installation is far more costly as well. Bonnanzio, in fact, said it would have been prohibitively expensive if it weren’t for the Revere company agreeing to supply the copper sheets.

As it stands, even with the donation from Revere Copper, the project is expected to cost an estimated $150,000 beyond what the developer, Canton Holdings LLC, has agreed to pay to install a new roof on the structure. To bridge that gap, the town, through the Board of Selectmen, has applied for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds, and a decision from the Community Preservation Committee on whether to recommend the funding to town meeting is expected to be made sometime before the new year.

Bonnanzio said it has taken a lot of time and effort to arrive at this point, and he, for one, is confident that the request will be approved. In fact, he said if all goes as hoped, then the roofing system featuring gleaming Revere copper could be installed on the mill as soon as this winter.

Bonnanzio also wanted to publicly thank the team at Revere Copper Products for their interest in the project and their generous donation of the copper and associated technical expertise.

O’Shaughnessy said the company, in turn, is happy to help with the materials cost and is looking forward to returning to Canton at some point in the future to celebrate the opening of the new facility.

“We think it’s a wonderful story, and we’re very excited to be a part of it,” she said.

For more information on Revere Copper Products, visit www.reverecopper.com.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Dec 16 2016. Filed under Canton History, News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.