Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• H.D. Phelps Brass Foundry 1889-1928
• Phelps Foundry Company 1928-1950

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

Fewer than nine.

Historic Narrative

Howard D. Phelps first established a brass foundry in Ansonia in 1889. The firm initially rented space from the Phelps and Bartholomew Company, a manufacturer of clocks and clock mechanisms incorporated in 1886 by Albert Phelps – Howard Phelp’s father – and his partner A.H. Bartholomew. Before striking out on his own Howard Phelps had been employed at Phelps and Bartholomew and after his departure continued to served as its secretary. The H. D. Phelps Foundry specialized in brass and bronze castings, die making, and brass turning, and company advertising in local directories noted ‘Special attention given to Ornamental Castings.’ The small shop soon outlived its initial quarters and in 1905 Phelps erected a dedicated foundry building at 20 Beaver Street in order to accommodate the thriving business. A 1906 Sanborn map shows the new building, which is identified as having electric-powered machinery and gas lighting. The focus of Howard Phelps’s brass foundry remained largely unchanged until about 1920, whereupon aluminum casting was added to the company’s portfolio. In 1928, the firm was incorporated as the Phelps Foundry Company with $50,000 in capital. Howard D. Phelps served as president, while his son Howard A. Phelps held the dual role of secretary and treasurer. The company remained a small specialty shop and family affair throughout its history. Fewer than nine total employees are attributed to the firm during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and after Howard A. Phelps moved to Hamden, Connecticut in 1947 his mother Anna P. Phelps assumed his position as secretary and treasurer. Howard D. Phelps died in 1950 and Anna subsequently closed the business and sold the building at 20 Beaver Street to the Spector Furniture Company for use as a warehouse. The new owners constructed the addition on the western side of the original foundry between 1950 and 1965 and continues to occupy the building.

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) blocks.

Dates of Construction

1905, c.1960

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former H. D. Phelps Brass Foundry building is a one-story, four-bay industrial structure with a red brick foundation and walls, red brick ridgeline chimney, front-facing low-pitch gable roof with exposed rafter tails, and a one-story shed-roof addition. The foundry’s main block was erected in 1905 and has a rectangular plan measuring 32 feet by 82-feet. The block’s foundation has been parged with concrete, as have portions of the northern elevation. Four equally-spaced window bays span the west (front) elevation and ten equally-spaced window bays can be seen on the north (side) elevation. The east (rear) elevation is similar to the façade, however, the southern of the two interior bays has a paneled wood door in lieu of a window. The majority of the window openings have ashlar stone sills and segmental-arched openings, the exceptions being a circular window in each of the gable ends. All of the windows on the west and east elevations have been boarded up, while those on the north elevation have had their lower halves covered with plywood. The visible portions of these windows suggest that the original fenestration likely consisted of twelve-over-twelve double-hung sash. The addition was constructed between 1950 and 1965 and extends the full depth of the original block’s southern elevation. It measures 28 feet wide by 82 feet deep and has a concrete foundation, concrete block and frame walls, and a shed roof. There is a narrow roll-up garage style door centered in the frame wall on its western elevation, four small four-pane fixed windows and a pair of pass-through doors on the southern side of the building, and a full-width, roll-up garage style door at the building’s rear.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete Block
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Gable
• Shed

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The building is in generally fair condition with some deterioration noticeable in the masonry at the corners of the building and at various locations along the exterior walls.

Specific Location

One 0.12-acre parcel (20 Beaver Street) located on the east side of Beaver Street, just north of Central Street.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 05400200000 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

0.12

Use (Present)

• Commercial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/27/2014

Bibliography

1. Ansonia City Directories, 1881-1965.
2. Federal Census Records, 1880, 1890, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.
3. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1924, 1936, 1939.
4. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1945, 1947.
5. Sanborn Map Company, 1884-1950.
6. The Hartford Courant, 1916-1962.