Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Clark Brothers Co. ca. 1905
• Crown Quality Co. ca. 1918-ca. 1920
• Henry Stuart Co. 1930-1998
• Krofut & Knapp Co. 1920-1925, 1927-1930
• Payne & Todd Paper Box Factory ca. 1880
• R.N. Bassett Co. 1917-1918
• Sarah C. Miles Show Factory ca. 1890-ca. 1900
• Walp & Co. ca. 1885-1890

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Rubber & Chemicals

Largest Documented Workforce

75-125 (1927).

Historic Narrative

The earliest – and main – portion of this mill was originally built ca. 1880 for the Payne and Todd Company, a paper box manufacturer. The firm’s tenure in the plant was short-lived, however, as was the residency of many of the companies that would follow. By the mid-1890s the factory was occupied by Walp and Company, a shoe manufacturer. Walp and Company remained in Milford for roughly five years before removing to Lynn, Massachusetts, the hub of New England shoe production, in 1890. Walp and Company was followed by another shoe factory, which was operated by Sarah C. Miles. This venture was short-lived and the plant fell vacant by 1900, yet it was reoccupied by 1906 when it was operated by the Clark Brothers Company as a combined carriage woodworking shop, saw mill, and cider mill. Within five years the Clark Brothers were gone and the first floor of the mill was maintained by D.E. Smith and Company, a carpentry and building firm, and the second floor was occupied by Mortimer Newman, a cap manufacturer. In 1917, the Ansonia-based R.N. Bassett Company purchased the plant as a branch manufactory, however, a lack of available employees forced the firm to close the mill after just one year. Several hat manufacturers followed the departure of the R.N. Bassett Company. The Crown Quality Company produced straw hats and occupied the plant from ca. 1918 until 1920. In 1920 the mill was acquired by the Crofut and Knapp Company, which manufactured both straw and felt hats and caps. Crofut and Knapp vacated the plant in 1925 after moving its straw hat production to Norwalk and felt hat manufacturing to New York, however, in 1927 the wage rates in New York forced the firm to restore the business that had been sent there to New Milford. The company employed between 75 and 125 New Milford workers until 1930 when the factory was sold to the Henry Stuart Company, a corset steel and metal specialties manufacturer. The Henry Stuart Company retained the mill until 1998. The plant was then purchased by its present occupant, Alcat, Inc., in 1999. Alcat manufactures and applies a variety of protective coatings to optical and engineering plastics and has been in business for over 35 years.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly five (5) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1880, ca. 1920, ca. 1930, ca. 1940.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former Payne and Todd Box Factory plant is comprised of five primary adjoining blocks located at the northeast corner of the intersection of West Main Street and Housatonic Avenue. The main block was erected along West Main Street ca. 1880 and is the oldest portion of the factory. The building is a two-and-a-half-story, 30’ x 125’ wood-frame structure with a stone block foundation, aluminum siding, and a side-gabled roof. The block is 20 bays wide and four bays deep. Fenestration consists of double-hung replacement sash set in rectangular window openings with plain wood surrounds. The primary entrance to the building is located at the eastern end of the south (façade) elevation and consists of a single pass-through door with a shed-roof portico supported by scroll-cut brackets. A one-story, 125’ x 62’ wood-frame addition adjoins the north (rear) elevation of the main building. The eastern half of this block was erected ca. 1920, while the remainder was completed ca. 1930. The details of the addition are similar to the main block, however, the newer structure has a shed roof. A further addition was completed ca. 1940 when a one-story, 54’ x 128’ concrete block ell was erected adjoining the northwest corner of the ca. 1930 construction. This block has double-hung windows and a front-facing gable roof. The final additions to the plant were completed between 1953 and 1965 when a pair of one-story concrete block wings were erected adjoining the ca. 1940 ell. These consist of a 62’ x 26’ ell projecting from the center of the ca. 1940 block’s east elevation; and a 153’ x 73’ addition adjoining the northern end of the plant. Both buildings have flat roofs and various arrangements of multi-pane metal sash.

Exterior Material(s)

• Aluminum Siding or Paneling

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Good

Condition Notes

The complex is in good condition. Although aluminum siding has been applied to the original mill and many of the windows have been replaced with modern units the plant is well maintained and retains much of its historic character.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (108 West Main Street) totaling 2.45 acres located at the northeast corner of the intersection of West Main Street and Housatonic Avenue.

Located in the River Park National Historic District (1986).
http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/GetAsset?assetID=491aee28-b08c-41f4-99d6-b45c62d0fded

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 65/313/5. / Link →

Acreage

2.45

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

07/27/2015

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. Sanborn Map Company, 1889, 1895, 1900, 1906, 1911, 1920, 1925, 1950, 1953.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. History of Milford, Connecticut; Work Projects Administration, 1939.
10. Cunningham, Jan. 1986. River Park National Register Nomination No. 86002648. National Park Service.