Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Schwarz Brothers Co. 1911-1959

Use (Historic)

• Paper & Wood Products

Largest Documented Workforce

250 (1917).

Historic Narrative

The Schwarz Brothers Company was established in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1898. The firm was organized by brothers Charles G. and Mathias Schwarz, natives of Germany, who emigrated to the United States in 1891 and 1888, respectively. The brothers took up residence in Bridgeport, where they both found employment in the builder’s trade. Eventually, in 1898, they struck out on their own and formed the Schwarz Brothers Company, which specialized in contract carpentry work. A small shop was initially secured on Cedar Street in Bridgeport, however, the business soon moved to Lindley Street. In 1903, the brothers set up a planning mill and added custom millwork to their carpentry services. The Schwarz brothers continued to operate the Lindley Street shop until 1911, when the plant was destroyed by fire. A new, larger factory and shop was subsequently erected on River Street, and this was eventually doubled in size through the construction of a substantial addition in 1916. By 1917, the company employed upwards of 250 hands both in the plant and on job sites. The increased capacity of the enlarged factory allowed the firm to expand into custom cabinetry manufacturing, which supplemented its production of trim and custom finish and building work. The Schwarz Brothers Company remained a family business throughout its history. By the late-1910s, the firm was led by three brothers, with Charles G. Schwarz serving as president, Mathias Schwarz as vice president, and John G. Schwarz as treasurer. John G. Schwarz Jr. held the role of secretary. When the business eventually closed its doors in 1959, Donald F. Schwarz, another son of John G. Schwarz, was president of the firm, and his mother, Rose Schwarz, held the dual role of secretary and treasurer. After the company vacated the River Street factory it was subsequently occupied by a series of short-term tenants, among them being City Tobacco and Candy, the Fairfield County Grocers Association, and the Mohawk Curtain Company. The plant is presently vacant.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly six (6) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1911, 1916, ca. 1916, ca. 1960, ca. 1980.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Schwarz Brothers Company mill is comprised of six adjoining primary blocks located on the south side of River Street, between Herbert Street to the west and Winton Street to the east. The original factory consists of two blocks built at the corner of River and Winton Streets in 1911. Both are of cast stone block construction and include a two-story, 100’ x 62’ workshop and manufacturing building; and a one-story, 40’ x 28’ engine room. Both have rectangular window and door openings with concrete sills and lintels, multi-pane metal sash with pivot-style openings, stepped cast stone block parapets, and concrete coping. The workshop has a side-gabled roof, while the roof of the engine room is flat. The primary entrance to the original plant consists of a pass-through door located at the eastern end of the workshop’s north (front) elevation. The door way has been boarded up, however, the date of construction, ‘1911,’ can still be read in the concrete lintel located above the entry. Three cast stone block additions were erected when the mill was enlarged in 1916. These consist of a two-story, 85’ x 62’ workshop; a two-story, 25’ x 62’ office block; and a one-story, 42’ x 34’ boiler house. The workshop adjoins the original mill’s west elevation, while the office adjoins the west elevation of the 1916 workshop. The boiler house adjoins the engine room’s south elevation. The details of the 1916 construction are largely identical to that completed in 1911, however, the office lacks a parapet. The workshop and boiler house both have side-gabled roofs, while the office roof is flat. A single pass-through door is located at the western end of the office’s north elevation. This has a replacement metal door, an infilled transom, and a concrete lintel that reads, ‘1916.’ The final block associated with the plant was built adjoining the south elevation of the 1916 mill around 1960, and was then enlarged to its present size around 1980. It was used for shipping and storage purposes and is a one-story, roughly 58’ x 107’ concrete block structure. A pair of loading docks with roll-up style metal doors are located on its west elevation and it has a flat roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Several sections of the exterior walls are in need of repairs and a number of the window openings have been infilled with concrete block, however, overall, the mill appears to be structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 0.76-acre parcel (95 River Street) located on the south side of River Street, between Herbert Street to the west and Winton Street to the east.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 53/1524/1 / Link →

Acreage

0.76

Use (Present)

• Vacant

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, 1914, 1934, 1956.
13. The Norwalk Hour, 1959.
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.