Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Duro Gloss Rubber Co. 1933-1962
• George G. Prentice & Co. 1905-1911
• J.C. Haartz, Inc. 1920-1933
• John T. Doyle Co. ca. 1910s
• Uretek Co. Mid-to-late-20th c.-Present (2015)

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories
• Rubber & Chemicals
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

50-99 (1939).

Historic Narrative

George G. Prentice and Company was organized in New Haven, Connecticut by George G. Prentice in 1901. A mechanical engineer by trade, Prentice’s firm focused on the manufacture of machine tools, its primary and most notable product being the Prentice Multiple Spindle Automatic Turret Machine, which was a unique device used to bore, turn, drill, ream, and thread work that had been processed on a rod machine and needed additional finishing on the opposite end. The company initially occupied a shop at the corner of Mill River and State Streets in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, and moved to a new factory on Lenox Street in the city’s Fair Haven neighborhood in 1905. In 1907, George G. Prentice and Company was incorporated with $500,000 in capital. The incorporators included George G. Prentice and his brother Harvey M. Prentice, as well as Thomas C. Shiling, another resident of New Haven. The business continued to operate until 1911, whereupon the business was acquired by the New Britain Machine Company, a machine tool manufacturer based in New Britain, Connecticut. The New Britain Machine Company continued to produce the Prentice Multiple Spindle Automatic Turret Machine, however, this work was moved to its main plant in New Britain and the New Haven factory formerly occupied by George G. Prentice and Company was vacated. The Lenox Street facility was occupied by the John T. Doyle Company, a producer of packaged foods, during the 1910s. The firm marketed its goods under two primary brands, ‘Doyle’s Pure Foods’ and ‘Country Club Brand,’ and manufactured a variety of products including baked beans, tomato soup, tomato catsup, spaghetti sauces, vinegar, and extracts. In 1920 the plant passed to J.C. Haartz, Inc., a manufacturer of mohair and rubberized fabrics organized by John Carl Haartz in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1906. Haartz converted the Lenox Street factory for use as a coating plant, which manufactured fabrics used for weather resistant and waterproof automobile seats and tops, as well as raincoats, under the guidance of local manager Frank Burnham. The company also acquired the New Haven-based Forsyth Dyeing Company, which worked in close cooperation with the J.C. Haartz mill. J.C. Haartz, Inc. retained the Lenox Street plant until 1933, when it was replaced by the Duro-Gloss Rubber Company, which was organized that year in New Haven by Arthur W. Chambers, Samuel O. Clark Jr., and Thomas A. Grimes. DuroGloss had formerly been a brand marketed by J.C. Haartz, Inc., however, it appears this branch of the business had been acquired and incorporated as a separate entity by local interests. The Duro-Gloss Rubber Company employed over 90 employees during the 1930s and retained the Lenox Street factory until 1962 when the business was moved to Marlborough, Massachusetts. The plant presently houses Uretek, a 40-year old manufacturer of heat-sealable polyurethane coated fabrics and composites.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly nine (9) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1905, ca. 1920, ca. 1930, ca. 1940.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former George G. Prentice and Company plant is comprised of roughly nine primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located on the west side of Lenox Street, approximately 200’ north of Lenox Street’s intersection with Quinnipiac Avenue. Two of these blocks were erected as part of the original mill in 1905. They consist of a three-story, 122’ x 75’ red brick manufacturing block, which has a one-story, 52’ x 40’ red brick ell on its north (side) elevation. The primary block is of brick pier construction and has a raised basement level, segmental-arched window openings with stone lintels, a denticulated and corbelled brick cornice, and a low-pitch side-gabled roof. The primary entrance to the block is located at the southern end of the building’s east elevation, this consisting of a concrete stair leading to a plain pass-through door set in a segmental-arched opening. This appears to have originally served as a window opening, however, it is unclear when the alteration to a doorway was completed. The ell erected in 1905 was likely of similar detailing, however, it has since been blocked from view by additions built ca. 1920. These include a one-story, 52’ x 21’ red brick block adjoining the east elevation of the 1905 building, and an one-story 84’ x 51’ wood-frame block adjoining the northern end of the complex. The details of the brick block mimic those of the original factory, however, the addition retains its original twelve-over-one double-hung windows (whereas those in the 1905 building have been replaced with modern units). The wood-frame block has clapboard siding and a side-gabled roof. Several window openings with double-hung sash and a loading dock with roll-up style door are located on its north elevation. One-story additions, these measuring 80’ x 28’ and 76’ x 13’, were built adjoining the east and west sides of the wood-frame block ca. 1930 and ca. 1940, respectively. The older of two blocks is of red brick construction and has rectangular window openings with multi-pane metal sash and hopper-style openings. The ca. 1940 building has vertical board siding and lacks window openings. The final portion of the plant of note is a group of three one-story adjoining blocks located approximately 40’ south of the factory’s main building. These were built in phases ca. 1920 and from east to west measure 65’ x 22’, 50’ x 64’, and 95’ x 13’. The eastern and central blocks are of red brick construction and have rectangular window openings with concrete sills. The eastern block has a corbelled and denticulated cornice and a flat roof, while the central block has a front-gabled roof flanked by stepped brick parapets. The western block is of wood-frame construction and has a shed roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Shed

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Although sections of the exterior walls are in need of cleaning and minor repairs, the mill appears to be structurally sound. The original windows in the plant’s main block have been replaced, however, those in other sections of the complex have been retained.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (30 Lenox Street) totaling 2.07 acres located on the west side of Lenox Street, approximately 200’ north of Lenox Street’s intersection with Quinnipiac Avenue.

Adjacent To

• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 091/0996/02700. / Link →

Acreage

2.07

Use (Present)

• Other: For sale 11/2023. 65k sq ft
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/08/2015

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 New Haven County; Clark, Richard, 1859.
6. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
7. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1901, 1911, 1923, 1950.
9. New Haven City Directory; Various editions.
10. History of the City of New Haven to the Present Time, 1887.
11. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, 1920.
12. Hartford Courant, 1933, 1937, 1972.