The Terra Cotta Tile Works company was Founded in Terra Cotta Illinois by William D. Gates in 1881 for production of Architectual items, namely brick and drain tile,  Gates enjoyed experimenting with clays and glazes in his effort to design a line of Art Pottery. His early attempts at this were limited to the popular reds, buffs and browns of the period but eventually Gates came to the conclusion that color and texture was more important than the clay bodies. This led him to discover the soft waxy matte green which was to become the hallmark of a line of Art Pottery which he called Teco after TErra COtta. Teco Art Pottery was first introduced to the public in 1902. This unique matte green glaze was often compared to the patina of acient bronze artifacts. The glaze was developed independently and NEVER was an attempt to copy the famous Grueby green glazes. During this time there were some production accidents such as a high glaze crystalline ware which was produced in limited quantaties and highly valued by todays collectors.

Teco pottery can rightfully be called functional art. which would serve some usefull purpose. This fits into with the principals of the Arts and Crafts Movement which was begun by the English philosopher William Morris.

Many of the Teco designs were the work of a group of young Chicago architects that were involved in the Prairie School style. They had rejected the revival styles of American architecture of the 19th century in favor on the use of wood, stone and clay in simple uncluttered forms. Any ornamentation consisted of geomentrical or natural objects which merged gracefully with the form.