Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• A. Vincent Pepe & Co. 1930-1938
• A. Vincent Pepe Co. ca. 1912-1930
• Metalmold Corp. ca. 1950
• Utica Wire Corp. late 1950s

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Paper & Wood Products

Largest Documented Workforce

1-9 (1936)

Historic Narrative

The A. Vincent Pepe Company was founded by Aniello Vincent Pepe, an immigrant from Nocera, Italy, ca. 1910. Pepe emigrated to the United States in 1905 and found work at the E.A. Morse Company, a stair building shop. Around 1910, Pepe established his own carpentry company in a small shop located behind his Olivia Street residence, which continues to stand as the easternmost block comprising the Hawkins Street factory that Pepe built and occupied ca. 1920. It was also around this time that Pepe erected the substantial buff brick house at the southwestern corner of Olivia and Cottage Streets. An advertisement in the 1914 Derby directory identifies A. Vincent Pepe as a cabinet maker, stair builder, and woodworker providing 'All kinds of Carpenter Work' with 'Carving a Specialty.' By 1920 Pepe had diversified into the production of millwork and expanded his two-story, 25’ x 34’ frame shop through the addition of three, two-story red brick manufacturing blocks measuring 48’ x 188’ overall. In 1930 the firm was incorporated as A. Vincent Pepe and Company, Inc., with $50,000 in capital. A. Vincent Pepe occupied the dual role of president and treasurer, with his brothers Emidio M. and Pasquale M. serving as vice-president and secretary, respectively. A. Vincent Pepe and Company left Derby and relocated to a new plant on Adeline Street in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1938. The firm’s Hawkins Street factory then fell vacant before eventually being occupied by a foundry operated by the Metalmold Corporation around 1950. Metalmold eventually removed to Wolcott, Connecticut, and the plant was then acquired by the Utica Wire Corporation during the late 1950s. At present, the factory and its two Hawkins Street storefronts stand vacant.

Number of Existing Buildings

Four (4) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1910, ca. 1920.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former A. Vincent Pepe Company plant is comprised of a group of roughly four adjoining blocks forming a linear complex on the on the east side of Hawkins Street approximately 75 feet south of Hawkins Street’s intersection with Cottage Street. The oldest and original portion of the plant is a two-story, 25’ x 34’ frame workshop situated at the eastern end of the factory. This was erected ca. 1910 and has asphalt shingle sheathing (this manufactured to look like red brick), a mix of frame and vinyl double-hung windows, and a side-gabled roof. To the west of the workshop there are three two-story red brick blocks built ca. 1920. From west to east these measure 48’ x 136’, 20’ x 20’, and 41’ x 46’, respectively. They have segmental-arched window openings with concrete sills, multi-pane metal windows with hopper style sash, brick parapets, tile coping, and flat roofs. The grade of the property drops to the west allowing for a three-story façade on the elevation fronting on Hawkins Street, where two commercial units were formerly located at ground-level. The storefront openings were partially reduced with brick infill at an unknown date and they flank a central entry that has likewise been reduced. Notable details of the eastern (rear) blocks include several garage-style openings with frame roll-up doors, including one on the second floor of the plant.

Exterior Material(s)

• Asphalt Shingles
• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

n/a

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The exterior walls show some staining and signs of deterioration; however, they appear sound, as do the plant’s various roofs. The majority of the original windows throughout the complex have been preserved, although some are in a deteriorated state. Several window openings have been boarded up or infilled with brick.

Specific Location

One 0.29-acre parcel (49-53 Hawkins Street) on the east side of Hawkins Street approximately 75 feet south of Hawkins Street’s intersection with Cottage Street

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 8-7 184A (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

0.29

Use (Present)

• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

01/13/2015

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Map of New Haven County, H & C.T. Smith, 1856.
4. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1896, 1901, 1906, 1912, 1924, 1947.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Bird’s Eye View of Birmingham, Connecticut, O.H. Bailey, 1876.
10. The History of the Old Town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880, 1880.
11. History of New Haven County, 1892.
12. Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Malloy, Leo T., 1935.
13. Derby, Connecticut 300th Anniversary Commemorative Book; 1675-1975, 1975.
14. Hartford Courant, 1930, 1939.
15. Derby City Directories, 1900-1960.