Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Locke Steel Chain Co. ca. 1955-1958
• The Salvation Army ca. 1965-ca. 2015
• Weidlich Bros Mfg. Co. 1910-1950

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

150 (1917).

Historic Narrative

The Weidlich Brothers Manufacturing Company was established in Bridgeport, Connecticut by brothers Louis W. and Charles E. Weidlich in 1905. Louis was trained as a die sinker, while Charles worked in the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Company’s sewing machine factory, however, the pair’s new venture specialized in the manufacture of gold and silver plated wares. Initial production took place in a small shop located at 140 Sterling Street in Bridgeport, until a dedicated factory was erected for the firm on Connecticut Avenue in 1910. By the time of the Weidlich Brothers Manufacturing Company’s move, Charles E. Weidlich had died and two other family members, Frederick A. and Ernest C. Weidlich, had joined the firm. Louis W. Weidlich continued to serve as the company’s president, while Frederick and Ernest Weidlich served as vice president and treasurer, respectively. The business of the Weidlich Brothers Manufacturing Company increased significantly during the 1910s and by 1917 employment at the firm averaged 150 hands and the Connecticut Avenue plant had been expanded to double its original size. The company also increased the diversity of its catalog during this period and by the 1930s it consisted of a variety of goods and novelties such as spoons, jewelry cases, cigarette dispensers, salt and pepper shakers, candlesticks, bud vases, clock cases, and electric lamps. Most of these were designed by Louis Weidlich or Alfred J. Flauder, the company’s head artisan. The Weidlich Brothers Manufacturing Company remained in business until the death of Louis W. Weidlich in July 1950. The firm did not survive the death of its founder and its Bridgeport factory was placed on the auction block in October 1950. The plant fell vacant for several years before being occupied by the lawnmower division of the Bridgeport-based Locke Steel Chain Company, which retained the plant along with its main facility at 1085 Connecticut Avenue until 1958 when all operations were relocated to Huntington, Indiana. It then passed to the Salvation Army, which converted it for use as a men’s social services center and retail store. The Salvation Army occupied the plant until around 2015.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly four (4) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1910, ca. 1915, ca. 1925, ca. 1965.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The former Weidlich Brothers Manufacturing Company plant is comprised of four adjoining primary blocks located on the north side of Connecticut Avenue, opposite Connecticut Avenue’s intersection with Florence Street. The main manufacturing block is a two-and-a-half-story red brick building erected as a roughly 100’ x 46’ structure in 1910 and then expanded to its present footprint of 218’ x 46’ ca. 1915. The combined building is of a unified design and has a raised basement level, concrete watertable, brick piers, rectangular window openings with concrete sills and lintels on the first floor, segmental-arched window openings with concrete sills on the second floor, a corbelled and modillioned red brick cornice, concrete coping, and a flat roof. A one-story, 24’ x 36’ red brick boiler plant of a similar design adjoins the north elevation of the original factory and was built at the same time. A two-and-a-half-story red brick office building was erected on the south side of the manufacturing block during the mid-1920s. The office is situated at the western end of the original factory’s south (front) elevation and it replaced a smaller office built as part of the original plant. The ca. 1925 structure measures roughly 32’ x 60’ and has a concrete foundation and water table, rectangular window openings with concrete sills and lintels, a red brick parapet, concrete coping, and flat roof. The brick spandrels between the first and second floor window openings have highly detailed herringbone patterned brickwork surrounding diamond-shaped concrete details. Similar diamond-shaped concrete detailing also decorates the third-floor sections of concrete-capped brick piers found on the east, south, and west sides of the office. The final building associated with the former Weidlich Brothers Manufacturing Company plant is a one-story, 81’ x 77’ steel-frame block erected adjoining the south elevation of the manufacturing block, and roughly 10’ west of the office building, around 1965. The addition has both red brick and concrete block apron walls, rectangular ribbon windows with concrete sills, and a flat roof. The sole entrance to the building is centered on the façade (south elevation). This consists of a metal and glass pass-through door located in a recessed opening.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The majority of the original windows have been replaced, however, overall, the facility appears to be well maintained and structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 2.42-acre parcel (1313 Connecticut Avenue) located on the north side of Connecticut Avenue, opposite Connecticut Avenue’s intersection with Florence Street.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 44/719/1. / Link →

Acreage

2.42

Use (Present)

• Mixed-Use
• Other: For sale 3/2022
• 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, 1950.
13. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport; Orcutt, Samuel, 1886.
14. History of Bridgeport and Vicinity; S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1917.