james peter allaire founded his first company, a brass foundry, at 462 cherry street, new york, in 1804. in 1807, allaire received an order from steamboat pioneer robert fulton for brass fittings for the "north river steamboat", the world's first commercially successful steam-powered vessel. allaire subsequently became interested in marine steam engine technology, and in 1815 he established a plant in new york for the production of such engines, the allaire iron works.