Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Weiman Bros. Mfg. Co. 1917-Present (2015)

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Machine Tools, Machinery

Largest Documented Workforce

10-24 (1936)

Historic Narrative

The Weimann Brothers Manufacturing Company was established by members of the Weimann family in 1917. The company was incorporated by Ferdinand A., Robert P., and Edmund A. Weimann the following year, with Ferdinand serving as president, Robert as treasurer, and Alfred F. Weimann serving as secretary. The company is currently operated by the great-great grandson of Ferdinand Weimann, Sr., the fifth of six generations of the family to be involved with the firm. The contracts initially executed by the Weimann Brothers Manufacturing Company included tool and die making and machinist’s work. During World War One this was mainly employed in the production of tool and machine parts. After this work trailed off in the post-war period, the company shifted its focus towards the design and manufacture of special machinery. The firm is attributed with developing the country’s first design for an automatic toothpaste tube filler, which allowed its client, Pepsodent, to automate the filling process and turn out 50,000 tubes per eight-hour workday. Throughout its history the Weimann Brothers Manufacturing Company has been able to weather numerous economic challenges from both evolving technologies and shifting consumer preferences. This has largely been due to its flexibility and ability to adapt, including a return to machinist’s work during the late 1930s, and entry into stamping work for items such as salt and pepper shaker tops after World War Two. In 1979, the company ceased production of contract tooling, preferring to focus on proprietary work. As of the early 2000s, the firm’s catalog included a diverse range of products including tops for salt and pepper shakers, bottle closures, gun sights and gun parts, and aircraft instrument components.

Number of Existing Buildings

Five (5) blocks.

Dates of Construction

1917, ca. 1930, ca. 1940, 1947-1965.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The Weimann Brothers Manufacturing Company plant is comprised of five frame buildings located on the north side of Roosevelt Drive at the southeast corner of Roosevelt Drive’s intersection with A Street, and south of Park Avenue. The original Weimann Brothers Manufacturing Company plant consisted of a one-story, 46’ x 104’ machine shop erected at the corner of Roosevelt Drive and A Street in 1917. The building is oriented with its primary elevation facing Roosevelt Drive and is five bays wide and eleven bays deep. The structure has a concrete foundation, asbestos shingle siding, paired windows set in rectangular openings, and a front-facing gable roof. Fenestration consists of nine-over-nine frame sash. A small hardening room built along Park Avenue in 1917 was replaced by a one-and-a-half story storage building ca. 1930. This measures 52’ x 40’ and is similar in its wall, window, and roof details to the original manufacturing block. A 16’ x 40’ shed roof block stands adjacent to the building’s east elevation, while a one-story, cross-gable block measuring 18’ x 32’ abuts the western side of the structure. An additional one-and-a-half-story frame machine shop was built to the south of the storage building and opposite the original machine shop ca. 1940. This is oriented with its façade oriented towards Roosevelt Drive and its primary block measures roughly 42’ x 92’. The main portion of the building is three bays wide and nine bays deep. Like the 1917 block it has a concrete foundation, asbestos shingle siding, paired windows set in rectangular openings, and a front-facing gable roof. A gabled portico with curved underside is centered on the façade, this sheltering the primary entrance. Two small blocks measuring 20’ x 42’ overall abut the north (rear) elevation. The last two buildings associated with the Weimann Brothers Manufacturing Company plant include a one-story, 48’ x 24’ frame block built between and connecting the machine shops, and a one-story storage shed located at the center of the property. These were erected between 1947 and 1965 in the style of the remainder of the plant.

Exterior Material(s)

• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Excellent

Condition Notes

The complex is in excellent condition. The exterior walls of all buildings are neatly painted and well maintained and the original fenestration has been preserved throughout the plant.

Specific Location

One 0.69 acre parcel (245-247 Roosevelt Drive) located on the north side of Roosevelt Drive at the southeast corner of Roosevelt Drive’s intersection with A Street, and south of Park Avenue.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 9-4 7 & 8 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

0.69

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

01/13/2015

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Map of New Haven County, H & C.T. Smith, 1856.
4. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1896, 1901, 1906, 1912, 1924, 1947.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Bird’s Eye View of Birmingham, Connecticut, O.H. Bailey, 1876.
10. The History of the Old Town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880, 1880.
11. History of New Haven County, 1892.
12. Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Malloy, Leo T., 1935.
13. Derby, Connecticut 300th Anniversary Commemorative Book; 1675-1975, 1975.
14. Hartford Courant, 1918.
15. History of the Weimann Brothers Manufacturing Company, CT Business News Journal, 2001.
16. Derby City Directories, 1910-1950.