Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Grant Mfg. and Machine Co. 1904-Present (2016)

Use (Historic)

• Machine Tools, Machinery

Largest Documented Workforce

25-49 (1939)

Historic Narrative

The Grant Manufacturing and Machine Company was initially organized as the Grant Manufacturing Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1900. The firm was founded by J. Grant Kingsbury, an engineer formerly employed in the laboratories operated by Thomas Edison. During the late 1890s, Kingsbury was employed as a foreman at Bridgeport’s Ashcroft Manufacturing Company, a steam gauge manufacturer, however in 1900 he struck out on his own accord and set up a small shop on John Street located above the machine shops of the Walter Brothers Company. The first work conducted by the Grant Manufacturing Company included the production of models and dies, the design of special and labor saving tools, and the repair of mathematical and scientific instruments. The firm’s most notable early product, however, was a revolution wheel counter, this engraved with markings created by special machinery designed by Kingsbury for the purpose of engraving on cylindrical surfaces. In 1902, Kingsbury reorganized and renamed the firm as the Grant Manufacturing and Machine Company and moved the business from John Street to a larger shop on Iranistan Avenue in Bridgeport. Kingsbury also expanded the range of products manufactured by the firm and these soon included screw slotting machines and tool-post grinders in addition to larger lines of toolwork and special machinery. The success of these products soon necessitated even greater manufacturing space and a new, dedicated two-story factory was erected for the business on Silliman Avenue in Bridgeport in 1904, the same year that the firm was formally incorporated as the Grant Manufacturing and Machine Company. After moving to Silliman Avenue, Kingsbury made further additions to his company’s catalog. Most were products of his own design, these including double-ended threading and cutting machines, drilling and milling equipment, and swaging, forging, and fastening machinery. One of the firm’s most significant products was introduced in 1905, this being its line of Noiseless Rivet Spinning Machines. In 1917, William Black McNaughton, a long-time employee of Grant, acquired control of the business and it continued to expand under his guidance. Additional riveting and fastening machines introduced by the company during the 1910s and 1920s included the Grant Rotary Vibrating Riveter, this introduced in 1912; the Grant Double-end Automatic Chamfering Facing and Burring Machine, introduced in 1921; and the Grant Double-end Automatic Threading Machine, introduced in 1923. The company gained considerable notoriety for these products and their popularity allowed the firm to establish itself as a world leader in the design of such machinery. By the late 1960s, the Grant Manufacturing and Machine Company had sold roughly 230,000 riveting systems across the globe. The firm remains in business in Bridgeport and continues to manufacture a variety of riveters and other fastening machinery.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly five (5) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1904, 1926, ca. 1960.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Grant Manufacturing and Machine Company plant consists of roughly five adjoining primary blocks located on the north side of Silliman Avenue, roughly halfway between Silliman Avenue’s intersection with Fairfield Avenue to the east and Ash Street to the west. The original factory consists of a two-story, 42’ x 110’ wood-frame block erected along Silliman Avenue in 1904. The building has both wood shingle and clapboard siding, large rectangular window openings with wood trim, multipane wood windows with pivot-style sash, and a low-pitch front-facing gable roof with cornice returns. A two-story, 64’ x 42’ cross-gable wood-frame addition was erected adjoining the southern end of the original plant’s west (side) elevation in 1926. The addition is of nearly identical detailing to the 1904 construction, however, its western half has fewer – and narrower – window openings. A large painted sign mounted between the first and second stories of the western half of the block reads, ‘The GRANT MFG. and MACHINE CO.’ A one-story, 22’ x 68’ concrete block storage building was erected roughly 16’ west of main manufacturing blocks ca. 1926. It was originally built as a 50’-long block, yet was expanded to its present length ca. 1960. The building has a wide garage bay on its east elevation and a flat roof with tile coping above. A one-story, 100’ x 40’ concrete block addition adjoins the north elevation of the storage building and links it with the north elevation of the 1904 block to the east. The ca. 1960 block has large garage bays with roll-up doors on its south elevation and a flat roof above. The final block associated with the factory was erected at the northwest corner of the intersection of the 1904 and 1926 manufacturing blocks ca. 1960. This appears to house the plant’s boiler plant. It has a flat roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete Block
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The plant is in fair condition. The exterior walls are in need of minor repairs and paint, however, overall, the factory appears structurally sound and well maintained.

Specific Location

One 0.41-acre parcel (90 Silliman Avenue) located on the north side of Silliman Avenue, roughly halfway between Silliman Avenue’s intersection with Fairfield Avenue to the east and Ash Street to the west.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 19/ 1219/ 2 / Link →

Acreage

0.41

Use (Present)

• Industrial

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, 1930.
13. Grant Riveters website.
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.