One of Johnson Controls’ earliest contract ledgers contains an entry for an installation at the home of John D. Rockefeller, the founder of the Standard Oil Company and widely considered to be the wealthiest American of all time. Rockefeller built his house in Pocantico Hills, about 25 miles north of New York City, over a 6-year period, from 1907 to 1913. Johnson Controls provided the temperature controls for the mansion, which included an amazing 76 thermostats.

JCI’s contract, dated Aug. 26, 1907 and booked at $3,715.55, was considered to be quite significant for the time. To appreciate the magnitude of the Rockefeller job, it can be noted that the Company’s contract for temperature controls at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan five years earlier was about $100 less than Rockefeller’s residence. John D. Rockefeller spent the last nearly 25 years of his life at Pocantico Hills before passing away in 1937 at the age of 97. The 40-room mansion would become home to four generations of the Rockefeller family. Today, the house is a National Historic Landmark owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.