Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• StanChem, Inc. 1969-Present (2015)
• Stanley Chemical Co. 1922-1969

Use (Historic)

• Rubber & Chemicals

Largest Documented Workforce

50-99 (1936)

Historic Narrative

The origins of the Stanley Chemical Company date to 1909, when E. Allen Moore, vice-president of the Stanley Works, hired chemist William Rowland in an effort to help improve the quality of the company’s cold-rolled steel production. Along with Moore, Rowland employed a number of innovative techniques that allowed the Stanley Works to reclaim and recycle excess sulphite and iron discharged in the cold-rolling process, as well as to eliminate several harmful waste products associated with the company’s earlier methods. Despite these successes, Rowland soon found himself less than fully occupied and subsequently turned his mind towards other inefficiencies he observed in Stanley’s production processes. Notable among these was the firm’s inability to reclaim many waste metals due to contamination by dirt or ashes during manufacturing. Rowland presented the problem to Moore, who then proposed the idea of founding a new commercial entity dedicated to solving the recycling issue. The result was the incorporation of the Connecticut Metal and Chemical Company on September 9, 1911. The Connecticut Metal and Chemical Company was initially located in a small rented shop in Bristol, Connecticut, however, once company directors at the Stanley Works caught wind of the venture, and realized the amount of time Moore and Rowland were devoting to it, they voiced concerns. As a result, in 1916, the Stanley Works purchased control of the Connecticut Metal and Chemical Company and moved all operations to New Britain where Rowland served as president. In 1921, the firm was absorbed by the Stanley Works and its name changed to the Stanley Chemical Company. By 1922, Stanley Chemical had added production of paint, lacquers, varnishes, brass and bronze castings to its metal reclamation work. As a result, a dedicated plant was established in Berlin where Stanley Chemical would continue to operate and expand production lines until it was bought out by a group of managers in 1969. Stanley Chemical was subsequently reorganized as StanChem, Inc. in 1969, however, neither the management, workforce, or plant changed as a result of the buyout. The company continues to operate at the site acquired by the Stanley Works in 1922, yet currently focuses on a variety of adhesives, fireproof and other coatings, and emulsion polymers.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly six (6) blocks.

Dates of Construction

1922,ca. 1930, ca. 1940, ca. 1950, late-20th c.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Stanley Chemical Company plant is comprised of roughly six primary buildings located on the north side of Berlin Street and west side of the Mattabesset River, the latter forming Berlin’s border with the Town of Cromwell, Connecticut. The earliest buildings associated with the plant include three structures erected in 1922. They include a one-story, 118’ x 320’ steel-frame and red brick manufacturing building with large window openings, metal sash, and paired gable roofs. Clerestory monitors originally ran the full length of the two ridgelines, however, these have been removed except for a 130’ stretch of the western roofline. Several smaller blocks were added to the building during the second half of the 20th century, these located on the south and east elevations. The two other 1922 buildings were both built for storage use and are one-story, steel-frame and red brick structures. One is located approximately 120’ west of the main manufacturing plant. It measures 30’ x 114’ and has a front-facing gable roof. The other stands another 60’ farther west. It originally measured 27’ x 133’, yet was enlarged to 62’ x 133’ ca. 1950. It has large window openings with steel sash and a low-pitch gable roof. The next addition to the plant was built ca. 1930 and enlarged ca. 1940. It is a one-story, roughly T-shaped office building with a steel frame and red brick curtain walls located between the main manufacturing block and the first of the aforementioned storage buildings. The structure measures 142’ x 107’, and was enlarged through the construction of a one-story, 74’ x 137’ steel-frame and red brick block on its south elevation at some point between 1965 and 1992. The last two primary buildings associated with the plant were erected ca. 1950. One is a one-to-three-story, 44’ x 154’ steel-frame and red brick manufacturing building with a flat roof that stands 58’ west of the main manufacturing block. The final building is located at the southern end of the complex, roughly 195’ south of the office building. It is a one-story, 26’ x 36’ red brick utility building with metal sash and a gable roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Clerestory Monitor
• Flat
• Gable
• Monitor
• Shed

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Metal

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The factory complex is in fair condition and is currently occupied and maintained by an industrial entity, StanChem, Inc.

Specific Location

One 15.3-acre parcel (401 Berlin Street) on the north side of New Britain Road and west side of the Mattabesset River, the latter forming Berlin’s border with the Town of Cromwell, Connecticut.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 17/2/133/10 / Link →

Acreage

15.3

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

02/18/2015

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, 1887, 1895, 1901, 1908, 1914, 1927, 1944.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. New Britain City Directory, 1860-1960.
10. Hartford Courant, 1936, 1940, 1956, 1961, 1969, .
11. History of New Britain, With Sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Camp, David, N., 1889.
12. Town of Berlin HRI, Historic Resource Consultants, 1984.