30 years ago, the love of decorative ironwork, hard work and luck led to Allan Papp’s founding of Architectural Iron Designs, Inc. (AIDI).  

Papp’s passion for decorative ironwork was ignited by becoming aware of Samuel Yellin, who is arguably America’s most famous 20th Century’s blacksmith. Samuel Yellin is best described as what the Pope is to Catholics, Yellin is to Blacksmiths. Just as the high-end Architects went to Tiffany Studios for their windows they went to Samuel Yellin for their ironwork.  Yellin’s Philadelphia workshop, which at its height in the 1920’s had employed nearly 260 artisans operating 60 forges, created decorative ironwork for clients such as J.P. Morgan, William Vanderbilt, Henry Clay Frick and many other wealthy individuals. Gates from Yellin’s workshop adorns the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., Yale, Columbia, Harvard and Princeton University to name a few as well as banks including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York which has over 200 tons of Yellin’s wrought ironwork. 

In the late 1980’s, Allan Papp chanced upon a collection of magnificent Yellin ornamental teller grilles that once adorned the lobby of the Equitable life Insurance Co in NYC that were being scrapped.  They were saved from being scrapped when the scrap metal yard recognized their craftmanship and contacted Alex Klahm of Architectural Metal and Design asking if he’d be interested in buying them, which he quickly did and rescued them. AIDI’s founder commissioned Alex to repurpose  8 grilles into three (3) tables: a coffee table, a high top and a side table which decorate the founder’s residence. 

Not long after, at a NOMMA convention in Louisville, Mr. Papp met Jack Eberhardt of Jet Welding & Ornamental Iron works of Thunder Bay Ontario Canada. Jack was also passionate about decorative ironwork was convinced there was a demand for decorative ironwork and encouraged Papp to open a retail store in New York City selling ironwork sourced from Germany ranging from small candlesticks, fire screens, table lighting, bowls and other interior decor claiming it would be hugely successful. While intrigued, Papp accessed it was too risky and decided to pass. 

As luck would have it, one day in the early 90’s Papp received a call inviting him to meet a visiting British trade delegation seeking to do business in America. It was at a reception at the British Consulate in NYC that Papp met Brian Rourke and his son Peter from B. Rourke & Co from Burnley England. The Rourke’s were seeking to sell their line of ornamental ironwork in America and while risky, Papp leaped at the opportunity driven by his love of decorative ironwork and AIDI was launched in 1994 as B. Rourke’s exclusive distributor in America. Its original location was a cramped 1,800 SF facility in Jersey City, New Jersey stocked with Rourke’s ironwork with a staff of four (4). AIDI gradually grew from its humble beginnings to become established at a time when fabricators had limited sources for decorative components. 

In December 1994, Jay Shah was hired for data entry while working towards his master’s degree at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He went on to work in all aspects of the business including picking and packing orders. He became an equity partner in 2000 while pursuing an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Three decades later, the Founder, Allan Papp, is proud to see his vision fulfilled of AIDI becoming a nationwide supplier of components for decorative and functional metal railings, balconies, gates, and fences – in iron, steel, aluminum and brass. Today AIDI has 15 employees, stocks thousands of parts from over 3 dozen sources in its 22,000 SF Bridgewater, New Jersey distribution center as well as a range of paints, patinas, gate hardware and gate automation choices all under the skillful management of his partner Jay Shah, AIDI’s President & CEO. 

In homage to Samuel Yellin, Papp keeps a collection of Samuel Yellin ironwork that he acquired over the years at AIDI that includes a large exterior lantern from the NYC Central Savings Bank, A bank table from Philadelphia’s Packard Building, a large grille from the Equitable Life Insurance Company along with original full scale blueprints for door hardware  at Princeton University’s  Firestone Chapel and a railing for a private NYC residence. Anyone who appreciates the incredible craftsmanship of Samuel Yellin’s decorative ironwork is welcome to visit the collection.