Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Crown Corset Co. 1909-1923
• Mitchell Bros. Inc. ca. 1925-mid-to-late 20th c.

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories

Largest Documented Workforce

500 (1916).

Historic Narrative

The Crown Corset Company was organized in New York, New York in 1858. The firm was established by five industrialists including Edward W. Russell of Paterson New Jersey; William H. Batcheller of Bridgeport, Connecticut; George C. Batcheller and George C. Miller of New York, New York; and Harry D. Miller, of Orange, New Jersey. The company manufactured a variety of women’s foundation garments and remained in New York until the business was moved to Bridgeport in December 1899. A portion of an established corset factory owned by George C. Batcheller – this located at the corner of Railroad and Myrtle Avenues – was secured and subsequently occupied until 1909, whereupon a new dedicated factory was built for the first a short distance to the east along Railroad Avenue. The Crown Corset Company’s ties to its neighbor, the corset plant operated by George C. Batcheller and Company, lasted through the 1910s as several of its managers – most notable among these being William H. Batcheller who at one time served as president of both businesses – were associated with both firms throughout the years. The companies also appear to have worked on each other’s products, a fact illustrated by a strike that took place in May 1916 after a woman by the name of Sadie Quilty, who was employed by the Crown Corset Company, refused to join the union shop there. Employees of the Crown Corset Company called upon the company to discharge Quilty unless she joined the union, and after management refused 500 workers both walked out and called upon their 1,000 colleagues in the George C. Batcheller and Company shop to do the same. Officers at George C. Batcheller and Company argued that the plants were independently operated entities, and thus were not implicit in the Crown Corset Company’s refusal to remove Quilty, however, workers there argued that as they were completing work for the Crown Corset Company they too would strike. The walkout lasted three weeks and it was not resolved until Quilty was moved to a different department within the firm. The Crown Corset Company continued to operate on Railroad Avenue until 1923 when a new factory was built at 225 Federal Street in Bridgeport. Unlike many corset firms, the company survived both the Great Depression and the evolving fashions of the 1920s and remained in business through the mid-20th century. After the company vacated its Railroad Avenue plant the latter was occupied by Mitchell Brothers, Incorporated, an underwear and lingerie manufacturer established in New York, New York in 1904. Mitchell Brothers operated the factory until the mid-to-late 20th century and it is presently vacant.

Number of Existing Buildings

One (1) freestanding primary block.

Dates of Construction

1909

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former Crown Corset Company plant consists of one primary block located on the south side of Railroad Avenue, roughly 275’ east of Railroad Avenue’s intersection with Park Avenue. The building was erected in 1909 and is nearly identical in design to its neighbor at 347 Railroad Avenue. The Crown Corset Company factory is a three-story, 58’ x 204’ red brick block with a raised basement level, brick pier walls, segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, corbelled window bay headers, and a pedimented front-facing gable roof. The original fenestration primarily consisted of paired six-over-six double-hung wood sash. The primary entrance to the mill is located on the north (façade) elevation. This consists of a round-arched opening in the second bay from the east side of the building. The opening has been enclosed with a metal roll-up door and the arched transom has been infilled. A stair tower projects from the roof just south of center on the east side of the building.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The plant is in fair condition. The vast majority of the window openings have been boarded up, however, overall, the building appears structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 0.45-acre parcel (345 Railroad Avenue) located on the south side of Railroad Avenue, roughly 275’ east of Railroad Avenue’s intersection with Park Avenue.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 21/ 521/ 13 / Link →

Acreage

0.45

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Other: Rehabbed 2020-21 as artist work space occupied by Metro Art 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, 1915, 1916.
13. Bridgeport Post, 1963.
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.