Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Albert & E. Henkels Lace Factory 1909-1915
• Albert & E. Henkels, Inc. 1915-1917
• American Fabrics Co. 1919-1992
• International Textile Co. 1917-1919

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

750 (ca. 1920).

Historic Narrative

The lace manufacturing company Albert and E. Henkels was established in Langerfeld, Germany during the early 1870s. The firm experienced considerable success in its early years and by the turn of the century had grown into the largest lace factory in all of Europe, as well as operated the largest factory in Pinerolo, Italy, where a branch location was also maintained. In 1909, the company organized an American plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the country’s first cluny lace mill, which was led by Max Henkels, the son of Albert, the firm’s founder. The American branch of Albert and E. Henkels began with just 10,000 square feet of manufacturing space, however, this was expanded significantly during the early 1910s. The firm operated under the umbrella of the German company until 1915, whereupon it was incorporated under the laws of Connecticut. By 1917, the company maintained 100,000 square feet of factory space, employed 450 hands, and completed roughly $1,000,000 in annual business. The firm also maintained what was frequently identified as a model community of workers’ housing, this located directly across from the plant on the south side of Connecticut Avenue. The decision on the part of the American government to support the Allied cause during the First World War created a dramatic shift in the fortunes of the Henkel family. By 1917, Max Henkel not only managed the American branch of Albert and E. Henkels, he also handled the company’s operations in German and Italy and frequently traveled between the three countries for business purposes. This was likely a point of concern for the firm as the name of the company was changed to International Textile, Inc. around 1917 and all stock was placed under the ownership of the American branch’s much less German-sounding vice president and assistant treasurer, H. Albert Philips. All of the company’s books and records were also destroyed at this time, allegedly in an effort to further hide any German connection. Regardless of the aforementioned efforts to obscure the company’s German ownership connections, control of International Textile, Inc. was seized by the American government’s Alien Property Custodian in July 1918 after it was discovered that Max Henkels remained a German citizen, and, allegedly, a reservist officer in the German military, despite having applied for American citizenship early in 1918. In June 1919, the Bridgeport company was sold and reorganized as the American Fabrics Company. This was led by three Bridgeport citizens, Walter B. Lasher, Wilmot F. Wheeler, and Edward S. Wolfe, who continued the thriving lace business established by Henkels. Although it took until 1921, Max Henkels was eventually compensated for the loss of his company and absolved of claims that he might have sought to assist an enemy of the United States. A judge ruled that he had sought naturalization as an American citizen before the business was taken and sold by the Alien Property Custodian, although the paperwork had not been fully processed. Henkels was awarded $1,502,555, the value that the sale of his company’s capital stock had brought at auction. Henkels never rejoined the American firm and it continued to operate as the American Fabrics Company into the late 20th century. The American Fabrics Company employed between 500 and 600 hands as late as the 1980s, however, the Bridgeport plant was eventually closed down in 1992 after the firm moved its manufacturing to the South. The Factory has since been reoccupied as artist workspaces and galleries.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly seven (7) blocks.

Dates of Construction

1909, ca. 1910, ca. 1939, ca. 1950, ca. 1960, 1967.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Albert and E. Henkels lace manufactory is comprised of seven adjoining and freestanding primary blocks located on the north side of Connecticut Avenue, between Connecticut Avenue’s intersections with Waterman Street and Alanson Road. The most prominent block is a four-story red brick office and manufacturing building erected as a two-story, roughly 215’ x 65’ structure ca. 1910, and then was likely raised to four stories during the 1920s. The mill is of brick pier construction and has a raised basement level, full-height window bays with corbelled headers, segmental-arched window openings with concrete sills, paired double-hung sash, a denticulated and corbelled red brick cornice, concrete coping and a flat roof. L-shaped parapets located at the southeast and southwest corners of the block give the building the appearance of having two short rooftop turrets. These have molded metal cornices, red brick parapets, and concrete coping. The primary entrance to the factory is centered on the building’s façade (south elevation), and is located in a slightly-projecting two-story pavilion. This is of Neoclassical styling and has a concrete first story and red brick second floor. Both bear rusticated detailing and have concrete cornices. The entry consists of paired wood and glass doors set in a flat-arched opening topped by a large concrete corbel. Gilded lettering in the flat-arched transom above the doors reads, ‘THE AMERICAN FABRICS/COMPANY.’ A one-story, roughly 188’ x 253’ red brick weave shed adjoins the north elevation of the office and manufacturing building. The original 1909 factory is located within the southwest corner of the weave shed, and this was enlarged to its present size during the early 1910s. The weave shed has segmental-arched window openings, both segmental-arched and rectangular door openings, and a sawtooth monitor roof. A one-story, 62’ x 44’ wood-frame storage building with vertical board siding and a side-gabled roof adjoins the northeast corner of the weave shed. This was erected ca. 1950. A one-story concrete block manufacturing building was erected roughly 50’ west of the main manufacturing building and weave shed in 1967. The building has an irregular-shaped footprint that measures approximately 165’ x 246’. The building has a red brick façade (south elevation), small rectangular window openings with concrete sills, double-hung metal sash, and a flat roof. A group of three adjoining one-story red brick blocks is located directly north of the 1967 building. These measure 75’ x 31’, 38’ x 166’, and 65’ x 166’ and were built ca. 1939, ca. 1950, and ca. 1950, respectively. Two of the blocks have pitched roofs, while the third has a flat roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Sawtooth

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The majority of the original windows have been replaced, however, overall, the facility appears to be well maintained and structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 6.06-acre parcel (1069 Connecticut Avenue) located on the north side of Connecticut Avenue, between Connecticut Avenue’s intersections with Waterman Street and Alanson Road.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 44/723/3/A / Link →

Acreage

6.06

Use (Present)

• Mixed-Use
• Other: Artist studios

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

01/22/2016

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
4. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
5. Map of Fairfield County; Baker, William A., 1854.
6. Atlas of the City of Bridgeport; J.B. Beers & Co., 1876.
7. Atlas of the City and Town of Bridgeport; G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1888, 1917.
8. Atlas of Bridgeport; Kershaw, William H., 1910.
9. Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1888, 1898, 1904, 1913, 1939, 1950.
10. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
11. Bridgeport City Directory, Various editions.
12. Hartford Courant, 1918, 1919, 1982.
13. New York Times, 1918, 1921, 1922, 1987.
14. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport; Orcutt, Samuel, 1886.
15. History of Bridgeport and Vicinity; S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1917.