Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Amston Grain Mill 1922-1946
• Elmore Silver Co. dba Amston Silver Co. 1946-1961

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Food, Beverage, Tobacco

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

Initial development at the site was a wood frame building for a company that produced window sash and moldings. It became a grain mill sometime after 1922. Sold to Philip Gross and Anna Zablotsky in 1925, they in turn transferred half ownership to their daughter, Sadie Turshen, in 1926. After a fire in 1927, Sadie’s husband Ira (1898-1950), a Russion jewish immigrant, rebuilt in fire-resistant brick. After several years as the Amston Grain Mill, in 1946, it was leased and subsequently sold to the Ellmore Silver Company, founded in 1910 and located in Meriden. Ellmore Silver Co. operated as Amston Silver Co. at the site, producing silver plate wares until 1961. The Turshens were respected members of the community, and leaders in the design and construction, in 1940-41, of the United Brethren of Hebron Synagogue. See 2015 NR Nomination by CME Associates Inc.

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) primary blocks with additions.

Dates of Construction

1927

Architect

n/a

Builder

Ira 'Izzy' Turshen

Building Type

n/a

Architectural Description

Ira (‘Izzy’) Turshen designed the eclectic brick building, reusing materials. Comprised of two primary blocks with later additions, the building is brick with concrete sills. The northern block is single-story with architecturally detailed entrance vestibule at the northwest end of the building. The southern block is three story brick pier construction; originally a storage space, it was built with half window openings at the ground and third floor levels, and used massive recycled steel beams for heavy loading. None of the original window sash remains; window openings in the southern block were enlarged at the ground and third floor levels and added at the second floor level. See 2015 NR Nomination by CME Associates Inc.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Structural Steel or Iron
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

One 1.8 acre parcel on the east side of Church Street (route 85) just north of the intersection with North Pond Road.

Adjacent To

• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 67-14 / Link →

Acreage

1.8

Use (Present)

• Other: UConn engineering students worked with CME on Turshen mill to find solutions to environmental problems at the site. See Journal Inquirer 12/9/2016 article: http://www.journalinquirer.com/towns/hebron/uconn-students-studying-how-to-improve-hebron-s-turshen-mill/article_e60a1540-be31-11e6-b62b-9326e2371599.html. DECD awarded $245,520 brownfields grant 6/2021 for remediation activities to allow for rehab as restaurant/brewery/commercial.
• Vacant

Form Completed By

n/a

Date

February 2015

Bibliography

1. CME Associates Inc., Turshen Mill Making Places Study Historic Documentation (2015).