Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Coulter & McKenzie Machine Co. ca. 1955-1983
• Lecoq Cuisine Corp. 2004-Present (2016)
• Wolverine Motor Works Inc. 1907-1955

Use (Historic)

• Food, Beverage, Tobacco
• Machine Tools, Machinery
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

125 (1907).

Historic Narrative

The Wolverine Motor Works was organized in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1894. The firm was established by Clark Sintz, the former proprietor of the Sintz Gas Engine Company, who sold his interest in that business in 1895 due to differences in opinion with the company’s other ownership. The Wolverine Motor Works began operations in the interest of manufacturing gasoline engines for automobiles, however, the popularity of the firm’s marine engines soon resulted in a shift in its primary focus. In 1901, control of the business was acquired by Charles L. Snyder, who served as president of the firm along with Louis D. Snyder, its vice-president and secretary, and Jules Panigot, the company’s assistant treasurer and auditor. In 1905, management of the Wolverine Motor Works announced plans to move the business to Bridgeport, Connecticut, driven by the advantages to be gained by being located closer to the East Coast’s motorboat engine market. By 1907, a thoroughly modern concrete and cast stone block factory was built for the company and its 125 employees were soon busy at work manufacturing a variety of gasoline marine engines ranging from 5 to 100 horsepower. The total capacity of the plant topped 10,000 horsepower per anum and all operations aside from casting took place in-house. A 100-foot long channel was dredged in the harbor inlet located immediately to the south of the facility, to provide 9’-deep low tide access to the company’s installation and repair docks. Engines produced by the Wolverine Motor Works were intended for heavy-duty usage and were notable for their durability and reliability. This was documented by numerous contemporary accounts, among these being an instance in 1907 in which an engine installed on a Panamanian gunboat that had been sunk during a conflict with the Republic of Columbia was overhauled and placed back in service after being recovered from the wreckage. During the 1910s, the Wolverine Motor Works expanded production to include kerosene-, distillate-, and suction producer gas-driven marine and stationary electrical generation engines, and during the early 1920s this catalog was further diversified by the addition of a line of diesel engines. The company continued to operate in Bridgeport until 1955. After the Wolverine Motor Works vacated their Union Avenue plant it was subsequently occupied by the Coulter and McKenzie Machine Company. Coulter and McKenzie was organized in Bridgeport in 1881 and before moving to Union Avenue occupied a main plant at 771 Water Street and branch locations at 137 and 245 Connecticut Avenue. The company manufactured machine tools and special machinery and specialized in equipment for heavy-duty applications. The firm occupied the Union Avenue plant until it was dissolved in 1983. Since 2004, the facility has housed the Lecoq Cuisine Corporation, one of the country’s leading producers of French pastries.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly nine (9) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1907, ca. 1910, 1950, c.1970, c.1980..

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Wolverine Motor Works plant is comprised of roughly nine adjoining primary blocks located on the west side of Union Avenue, at the southern terminus of Union Avenue opposite its intersection with Bay Street. The mill’s three original blocks were erected in 1907. All are of reinforced concrete construction with cast stone block exterior walls. The most notable is the main machine shop, which is a one-story, 118’ x 180’ building with cast stone piers topped by coved concrete caps, rectangular window openings with concrete sills and lintels, a coved concrete cornice, and a sawtooth monitor roof. A two-story, 62’ x 30’ office and drafting room adjoins the eastern end of the machine shop’s north elevation. The office originally bore exterior details identical to the machine shop, however, its exterior has since been clad in a rusticated concrete tile and it has a flat rather than sawtooth monitor roof. The final original block is a one-story, 28’ x 28’ pattern shop that adjoins the western end of the machine shop’s north elevation. This has since been surrounded by later blocks, however, it remains discernable due to its sawtooth monitor roof. A one-story, 92’ x 50’ hollow tile and stuccoed testing room was erected adjoining the southern end of the machine shop’s west elevation ca. 1910. The block has a flat roof and adjoins the southern elevation of a one-story, 92’ x 78’ concrete block flat-roofed stock room built adjoining the machine shop’s west elevation ca. 1950. Other modern additions to the plant include a two-story, 30’ x 55’ concrete block ell built between the office and pattern shop ca. 1970, a 92’ x 132’ concrete block machine shop erected at the northwest corner of the plant ca. 1980, and a pair of two-story concrete block shipping and storage buildings erected adjoining the southwest corner of the facility ca. 2004. The latter measure 66’ x 36’ and 63’ x 90’. Both have flat roofs.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete
• Stucco

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat
• Sawtooth

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Gasoline Engine

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The exteriors of the original blocks are in need of repairs and all of the original windows have been replaced, however, overall, the facility appears to be reasonably well maintained and structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 9.93-acre parcel (35 Union Avenue) located on the west side of Union Avenue, at the southern terminus of Union Avenue opposite its intersection with Bay Street.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Transport)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 31/627/5. / Link →

Acreage

9.93

Use (Present)

• Industrial
• Other: LeCoq Cuisine Corp (french pastries)

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, 1930, 1938, 1948.
13. Motor Boat, Vol. 4; Motor Boat Publishing Co., 1907.
14. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport; Orcutt, Samuel, 1886.
15. History of Bridgeport and Vicinity; S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1917.