Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Economy Grocery Co. 1925-1929
• First National Stores, Inc. 1929-1980

Use (Historic)

• Food, Beverage, Tobacco

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown

Historic Narrative

The Boston-based grocery chain First National Stores, Inc. was established in 1925 as a result of the merger of three New England grocery companies, O’Keefe’s, Inc., the John T. Connor Company, and the Ginter Company. In 1929, the corporation acquired the Waterbury, Connectict-based Economy Grocery Company, which had been established by Morris Joseloff in March 1914. At the time of the acquisition, First National Stores operated more than 2400 grocery stores and 125 meat markets throughout New England, while the Economy Grocery Company maintained some 300 grocery stores across Connecticut. Central to the Economy Grocery Company’s operations was a warehouse built on Oakland Street in East Hartford, Connecticut, in 1925, which was acquired during the First National Stores acquisition in 1929. The Economy Grocery Company’s East Hartford warehouse was substantially expanded by First National Stores throughout the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and it eventually consisted of a sprawling facility that included offices; general warehouse space; garages; truck storage and repair shops; departments for meat processing, banana storage and ripening; a beverage bottling and packaging plant; and what was noted as one of the most complete and modern baking facilities in the world in 1930. The company maintained its warehouse operations until 1974, at which time warehousing was shifted to other facilities in Massachusetts and New York. At the time of the warehouse closure, East Hartford bakery operations were expanded and employment in this division was increased from 225 to 300 persons. The financially troubled First National Stores, Inc. was acquired by the Ohio-based supermarket chain Pick-N-Pay in 1978, which closed the East Hartford facility in 1980.

Number of Existing Buildings

Fifteen (15) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1925, 1929, ca. 1930, 1932, 1939, 1947, ca. 1949, ca. 1960.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former First National Stores bakery and warehouse facility consists of roughly fifteen adjoining and freestanding primary blocks located on the east side of Oakland Avenue, at the northeast corner of Oakland Avenue’s intersection with Park Avenue. The oldest portion of the plant is located at the core facility and consists of the original warehouse and office blocks erected by the Economy Grocery Company in 1925. These consist of one- and two-story red brick buildings with large rectangular window openings, concrete window sills, and flat roofs. The office is located behind (east of) a larger office building erected ca. 1929 and is notable for its prominent cast stone cornice and red brick parapet. The warehouse adjoins the east side of the 1925 office and is topped by small sawtooth monitors. Additions to the facility included a variety of red brick, steel-frame, reinforced concrete, and concrete blocks primarily erected between 1929 and ca. 1949. Notable among the additions are the two-story, 60’ x 80’ red brick International style office building located at the center of the plant along Oakland Avenue; the four-story, 200’ x 60’ reinforced concrete baking building situated roughly 140’ south of the office block; and the one-story, 36’ x 150’ red brick Art Moderne and International style bakery finishing and packaging facility that wraps around the west and south side of the bakery.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Concrete
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Sawtooth

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• EPDM
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

The factory complex is in fair condition, however, many of the window openings in the office blocks have been infilled with new fenestration and aluminum sheathing.

Specific Location

One 31.87-acre parcel (1 Oakland Avenue) located on the east side of Oakland Avenue, at the northeast corner of Oakland Avenue’s intersection with Park Avenue.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 26-203 / Link →

Acreage

31.87

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas Karmazinas

Date

12/01/2016

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. Sanborn Map Company, 1919, 1920, 1927, 1949.
6. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
7. The Hartford Courant, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981.