Brewster & Co.
Coordinates: 40°45′02″N 73°56′20″W / 40.7505°N 73.9389°W Brewster & Company was an American coachbuilder, active from 1810 to 1937. Their first known bodywork on an automobile was in 1896, on an electric car, and a gasoline-powered car in 1905, on a Delaunay-Belleville chassis. Eventually they would use chassis from a variety of makers. From 1915-1925 and 1934-1935 they produced their own line of opulent and expensive automobiles at their plant in Long Island City.
In 1804 James Brewster became an apprentice to carriage builder Colonel Charles Chapman when he was 16 years old. He considered pursuing a life in the military, achieving the rank of Lieutenant in the Northampton militia, but ultimately decided "coachmaker with a competency" sounded better than "General Brewster". James had $30 when he completed his apprenticeship, heading out for New York in 1809, but there were delays along the way.
James was exploring New Haven, Connecticut, and had walked into a carriage manufactory. He became journeyman under John Cook, who owned a carriage-making shop. By 1810, he had finished working under Cook (having saved $250), gotten married, and opened up his own carriage shop, Brewster Carriage Co.
His coaches were of exceptional quality, and in a few years he would need to expand. James purchased the carriage shop of John, his former employer.
Brewster carriages began to get noticed in the larger cities, and he opened up a showroom and warehouse on Broad St. in New York City. To keep his best workers loyal, James would pay the highest wages, in cash every week. In contrast, other small establishments paid on and off, and not always with cash.
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