Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Meriden Gravure Co. Inc. 1888-1977
• Meriden-Stinehour Press 1977-1989

Use (Historic)

• Other: Printing

Largest Documented Workforce

50-99 (1936).

Historic Narrative

The Meriden Gravure Company was established by Meriden industrialists Charles Parker and James F. Allen in 1888. The company was the second printing venture founded by Parker and the later firm’s efforts centered around high-quality image reproduction using full-tone collotype printing methods. The business’s initial clients largely consisted of Meriden’s numerous silver manufacturers, which relied upon Meriden Gravure to produce various catalogs and other advertising tools, and later diversified to include scientific journals, museums, libraries, and illustrated book publishers. The firm was incorporated in 1905, a time in which the firm boasted accounts in nearly every state in the nation and ranked as one of the largest companies in the United States producing exclusively gravure-based imagery. During the early 1900s, Meriden Gravure was led by J.F. Allen, president and treasurer, and O.W. Bassett, secretary. In 1924, 14-year old Everett Harold Hugo joined the company as an assistant. Hugo would eventually go on to spend his entire career with the firm, a period in which he would participate in the development of groundbreaking contributions to the printing industry. Notable among these was the the innovative use of 300-line halftone processes for offset printing presses, which Meriden Gravure pioneered during the mid-19th century. The quality of the company’s product earned it a notable clientele, including The General Electric Company and United States Government, and Meriden Gravure’s work with the latter earned it classified status during the Second World War. Meriden Gravure eventually merged with its close competitor and sometimes collaborator, Stinehour Press of Lunenberg, Vermont, in 1977. Stinehour Press specialized in letterpress printing and its relationship with the Meriden firm was generally amicable as it counted Hugo among its Board of Directors. The resultant Meriden-Stinehour Press continued to operate in both Vermont and Connecticut through 1989, when the Meriden plant was closed and all work centralized in Lunenberg. The factory presently houses an art and photography framing shop.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly eight (8) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1888, ca. 1905, ca. 1915, ca. 1930, ca. 1960.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The Meriden Gravure plant is comprised of approximately eight primary adjoining one-, two-, and three-story blocks of red brick, frame, or metal-frame construction located at the northern terminus of Billard Street and bounded by Billard Street to the west and Kensington Place to the east. The earliest section of the plant is a three-story red brick manufacturing block erected ca. 1888. This measures 52’ x 32’ and has flat-arched window openings with stone sills, a denticulated brick cornice with cornice returns, and a side-gabled roof. Around 1905, the plant was significantly expanded through the addition of three one- and two-story blocks on the west side of the original building. These include a one-story, 24’ x 64 frame storage building with front-facing gable roof at the northwest corner of the main block; a two-story, 25’ x 48’ frame storage building with front-facing gable roof adjoining the west elevation of the aforementioned ca. 1905 storage building; and a one-story, 38’ x 90’ frame office and stockroom abutting the southwest corner of the original building. All of the aforementioned blocks have vinyl siding, however, the office and stockroom building retains its original nine-over-nine double-hung wood windows. Further additions to the Meriden Gravure factory were completed ca. 1915, ca. 1930, and ca. 1960. The earliest of these consists of a two-story, 34’ x 29’ red brick block adjoining the northeast corner of the original factory building. This has segmental-arched window openings, stone sills, and a flat roof. The ca. 1930 additions include a two-story, 60’ x 65’ frame factory block adjoining the south side of the original building, and a one-story, 48’ x 70’ red brick manufacturing building abutting the west elevation of the other ca. 1930 block. The frame building has been vinyl sided, however, the brick building is notable for its large window openings with concrete sills and multi-pane metal sash with hopper style openings. The final block associated with the plant is a one-story, 50’ x 75’ steel-frame structure at the southeast corner of the complex. It has corrugated metal siding and a low-pitch shed roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Steel
• Vinyl Siding

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Shed

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The factory is in overall fair condition. Although many of the original windows have been replaced and the frame buildings sided with vinyl, the majority of the plant appears structurally sound and reasonably well maintained.

Specific Location

One 2.15-acre parcel (47 Billard Street) at the northern terminus of Billard Street and bounded by Billard Street to the west and Kensington Place to the east.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 0513-0245-002A-0025 (5 property cards) / Link →

Acreage

2.15

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Other: 2021 for sale for mixed use redevelopment

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

05/22/2015

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, H & C.T. Smith, 1856.
6. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
7. Birdseye View of Meriden, Connecticut, O.H. Bailey & Co., 1875.
8. Birdseye View of Meriden, Connecticut, Hughes and Bailey, 1918.
9. Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1891, 1896, 1901, 1950, 1953.
10. Hartford Courant, 1915.
11. An Historic Record and Pictorial Description of the Town of Meriden, Connecticut; Gillespie, C. Bancroft, ed., 1906.
12. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County; Hill, Everett G., 1918.