Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Crane Plumbing Supply Co. 1925-mid-20th c.
• National Iron Works 1916-1925
• Parsons Brothers Supply Co. mid-20th c.-late-20th c.

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

60 (1916).

Historic Narrative

The National Iron Works was organized by Harry Krasnow, a resident of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1911. Krasnow emigrated from Russia in 1907 and within four years had established a successful business that manufactured a variety of structural and ornamental iron goods ranging from I beams and lally columns to fire escapes and elevator grilles. Krasnow’s first workshop was located on Talcott Street in Hartford, however, in 1916 it was announced that the company was in the process of building a new factory on Windsor Street. Plans called for a building measuring 111’ wide and 250’ deep, which would allow the firm to double its workforce of 60 hands. The completed structure measured a fraction of the proposed size, however, and it is unclear what caused the firm to alter its plans. The National Iron Works was incorporated with $20,000 in capital in 1917. The firm’s directors included Krasnow, I. Jaffer, and Nathan Aschatz, however, only Krasnow was involved with the daily operations of the company. The National Iron Works remained at 710 Windsor Street for a limited amount of time. The company moved to 823 Windsor Street in 1925, and by the 1930s Krasnow assumed the role of treasurer of the firm while his son Albert served as president, and his wife Sarah held the role of secretary. The family reorganized the business as the National Steel Products Company around 1935, by which time the firm’s original Windsor Street shop had been acquired by the Crane Company, the first of several plumbing supply firms to occupy and enlarge the plant during the mid-to-late-20th century. The factory presently stands vacant. Side note: Harry Krasnow's son Herman eschewed the family business, instead choosing to pursue a career in the music industry. He moved to New York City during the 1930s and between 1949 and 1956 was employed as a producer at Columbia Records. While at Columbia Herman 'Hecky' Krasnow produced the Columbia recordings of 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' and 'Frosty the Snowman,' performed by Gene Autry; numerous songs by Burl Ives and Captain Kangaroo, as well as recordings of 'The Ballad of Davy Crockett and Smokey the Bear,' 'I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas,' and 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.'

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1916, ca. 1925, ca. 1940.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former National Iron Works plant is comprised of three adjoining blocks located on the west side of Windsor Street, directly opposite Windsor Street’s intersection with Loomis Street. The original factory was built in 1916 and consists of a one-story, 88’ x 98’ red brick block located at the core of the present plant. The building has large rectangular window openings with concrete sills and multi-pane metal sash, and a flat roof with a 5’-high clerestory monitor. A one-story, 98’ x 86’ red brick block with a trapezoidal footprint, flat roof, and three gabled wire-glass skylights adjoins the east (rear) elevation of the original building. This was erected as a warehouse ca. 1925. The property’s third and final block was erected adjoining the west (front) elevation of the original National Iron Works factory ca. 1940. This is a one-story, 80’ x 98’ red brick block with a trapezoidal footprint, concrete foundation, large rectangular window openings with concrete sills and multi-pane metal sash, a stepped brick parapet with concrete coping, and a flat roof. A painted advertisement on the block’s north elevation reads, ‘PARSONS BROS. SUPPLY/WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTOR/PLUMBING INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES HEATING.’

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Clerestory Monitor
• Flat
• Monitor

Roof Material

• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair to deteriorated condition. The majority of the exterior walls and trim are in need of cleaning and repairs and a number of the original windows have been painted or boarded over. Despite this fact, however, the plant appears reasonably well maintained and structurally sound.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (710 Windsor Street) totaling 0.562 acres located on the east side of Windsor Street, directly opposite Windsor Street’s intersection with Loomis Street.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 263/74/101 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

0.562

Use (Present)

• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

08/31/2015

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 Hartford County, H & C.T. Smith, 1855.
6. Atlas of Hartford County, Beers, Baker & Tilden, 1869.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1885, 1900, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1950.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Hartford City Directories, Various editions.
10. The Hartford Courant, 1916, 1917.