Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• United Illuminating Co. ca. 1917-ca. 1999

Use (Historic)

• Other: Power generation

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

Bridgeport city directories and maps do not indicate which utility company built and occupied this sub-station, however, it was likely the United Illuminating Co., which was the primary electrical utility in Bridgeport by the early 1900s. The origins of United Illuminating date to 1881 and the organization of the New Haven, Connecticut-based New Haven Electric Lighting Co. This fledgling utility struggled from the start, however, and was reorganized as the New Haven Electric Co. in 1883. The latter firm began as many nascent electrical companies in the period did, namely by supplying annual contracts for individual lighting units. This model was soon replaced by system-based electrical service and the New Haven Electric Co. expanded rapidly by marketing its services to businesses and institutions, among them being Yale College. The firm continually increased its capacity through the 1880s and 1890s, and by the late 1890s set its sights beyond the boundaries of New Haven. In 1899, James English, president of both the New Haven Electric Co. and the Bridgeport-based Bridgeport Electric Light Co., which was organized in 1884, moved to merge the two firms under his leadership as well as acquire a number of other electrical utilities in the vicinity of Bridgeport and New Haven. The United Illuminating Co. was incorporated for this purpose, with the acquired firms consisting of the Bridgeport Illuminating Co., the Stratford Gas and Electric Co., and the West Haven Power Co. United Illuminating was led by English as president, with an assortment of officers from the other firms serving as management and a board of directors. It boasted $200,000 in initial capital. English’s move proved prudent almost immediately as the company posted profits of $36,515 on its first annual revenues of $428,539. By 1919, these numbers had grown to $140,000 and $3 million, respectively, with further increases to $541,000 and $8 million in 1930. The company continually expanded its customer base within the New Haven-Bridgeport metro market yet largely resisted large mergers of the likes that had initially created the business. The utility made significant improvements to its generation and distribution systems during this period, however, with substantial new powerplants erected in both New Haven and Bridgeport during the 1920s. These improvements included replacing one of its earliest generation stations on Grand Avenue in New Haven ca. 1920, building the notable Steel Point Power Station in Bridgeport in 1922, and then expanding the New Haven facilities on Grand Avenue through the construction of the massive English Station, this named after the company’s founder, at a cost of $3,250,000 in 1929. By 1930, increased capacity had driven the total number of the utility’s customers to over 116,000. The United Illuminating Co. continued to expand during the 1940s and 1950s, this largely as a result of the post-war American consumer boom. The utility made additional improvements to its New Haven and Bridgeport plants during the 1950s, however, during the 1960s the firm’s management became increasingly amicable towards cooperation with other utilities. In 1962, the firm partnered with the Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co. to build a nuclear power plant at Haddam Neck, Connecticut, and in 1971 joined the New England Power Pool, a sort of emergency generation and transmission cooperative. Further sourcing of power production included investment in a nuclear plant in Seabrook, New Hampshire in the late 1970s, and in the Millstone nuclear plant in Waterford, Connecticut, in the 1990s. This focus on nuclear energy, as well as increased investment in hydro power, allowed United Illuminating to make a shift away from its reliance on fossil fuels during the 1990s and a number of coal- and oil-fired powerplants were decommissioned. United Illuminating remains a regionally-based utility and today serves roughly 325,000 customers.

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca.1917

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The former United Illuminating Company State Street sub-station consists of two adjoining primary blocks located on the south side of State Street, at the southeast corner of State Street’s intersection with Fairfield Avenue. The sub-station was erected ca. 1917 and consists of two one-and-a-half-story red brick blocks. The main block fronts on State Street and is a 37’ x 27’ building with tall, blind windows with corbelled brick headers on the first floor; and rectangular brick spandrel panels and small rectangular window openings with splayed brick lintels and multipane metal sash on the upper-story. The block has a corbelled brick cornice, tile coping, and a flat roof. The primary entrance to the facility is located on the east side of the building’s north (façade) elevation. This is accessed via a set of poured concrete stairs and consists of a plain metal door. The rear block adjoins the east side of the main block’s south (rear) elevation. It measures 22’ x 18’ and is similar in design to the main block. A loading door with a roll-up metal door is located on the east elevation of the rear ell, and a metal pass-through door leading to a metal fire escape can be found on the second story of the block’s west elevation.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The sub-station is in fair condition. The exterior walls are in need of minor repairs, however, overall, the building appears structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 0.14-acre parcel (1815 State Street) located on the south side of State Street, at the southeast corner of State Street’s intersection with Fairfield Avenue.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 19/ 1236/ 5 / Link →

Acreage

0.14

Use (Present)

• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas Karmazinas

Date

1/19/2016

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. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport; Orcutt, Samuel, 1886.
13. History of Bridgeport and Vicinity; S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1917.