Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Star Pin Co. 1875-1977

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

400 (ca. 1920)

Historic Narrative

The Star Pin Company was founded on September 25, 1866 and originally ten employees produced pins and hair pins within a 5,000 square foot frame mill in the Wells Hollow section of Shelton. One of the founders and early officers of the company, James C. Hubbard, initially operated a pin shop in North Haven and is credited with inventing one of the first automated hair pin making machines in the United States. Hubbard’s son, Henry Franklin Hubbard, joined the company during the 1890s and was active with the firm for 57 years. During this time he attained the title of 'dean of American pin makers,' after designing the machine that produced the first 'bobby pins.' The Star Pin Company’s early success quickly caused it to outgrow its initial factory and in 1875 the firm erected a three-and-a-half-story brick mill along the Ousatonic Water Company’s recently constructed canal. This structure comprises the first three stories of the present complex’s central block, this raised to four stories shortly after the four-story block to the north was constructed by the company in 1906. By this time the firm employed over 125 workers producing its lines of pins, hair pins, and garment hook and eyes. The company’s peak came during the 1920s, whereupon 400 employees toiled within 125,000 feet of total floor space. By the early 1950s, the company also produced folding paper boxes and numbered 140 employees. In 1973, a Hartford Courant article highlighted the fact that the Star Pin Company was one of the last firms in the state continuing to employ water powered generation, which it used to generate lighting. Following the closure of the Star Pin Company, its Canal Street plant passed to the Genie Manufacturing Company, a division of North American Philips.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly six (6) blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1870, 1875, 1906

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Star Pin Company plant is comprised of an adjoining complex of approximately six identifiable red brick blocks with a total frontage of roughly 215 feet on the east side of Canal Street. The buildings are typical of industrial complexes erected during the late 19th century and are characterized by their narrow width, comparatively high overall length, and thick masonry walls pierced by repeating bays of large window openings. The buildings range between one and four stories in height and with only one exception have flat roofs. The exterior walls rest on brownstone foundations and rise to denticulated brick cornices. The majority of the door and window openings throughout the complex have segmental-arched openings and brownstone sills. A number of the doors and windows openings have been boarded up, however, the vast majority retain their original windows. These consist of a mix of paired, four-over-four double-hung wood sash, and six-over-six and nine-over-nine double-hung wood sash. The primary structures within the Star Pin Company plant are the two four-story factory buildings fronting on Canal Street and extending east towards the river. These consist of the company’s original 1878 factory, which measures 44’ x 240’ feet, and the block to the north, which measures 50’ x 200’ and was purchased by the company and raised from two to four stories in 1906. The two buildings are connected by several structures, this including a one-story loading dock, a four-story passageway, and the two-story former office building, which is curiously located at the rear of the complex. Unique details of the northernmost of the two primary blocks include the three-light transoms above their double-hung sash on the second floor, and the rounded profile of the building’s northwest corner.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Water (Turbine)

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

All portions of the building are in generally fair condition, however deterioration is present in many locations throughout the complex. This is particularly true of a number of the windows and roofs.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (listed in the Shelton Assessor’s Records as 267 Canal Street) totaling 1.4 acres on the east side of Canal Street.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)
• Business District
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 139.-5 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

1.4

Use (Present)

• Other: Fire 6/2020 gutted building; town had agreed to sell to Primrose Development in March 2020 for conversion to residential units.
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/27/2014

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule Co., 1868.
3. Derby and Shelton Bird’s Eye View, 1898.
4. Shelton Bird’s Eye View, 1919.
5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1924, 1949.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Malloy, Leo T., 1935.
10. The Hartford Courant, 1954.
11. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).