Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• American Cigar Co. 1906-1933
• American Suppliers, Inc. 1933-1965
• American Tobacco Co. 1966- late-20th c.

Use (Historic)

• Food, Beverage, Tobacco

Largest Documented Workforce

50-100 (1927).

Historic Narrative

The American Cigar Company was organized in January 1901 as a division of the American Tobacco Company, a substantial conglomerate of tobacco corporations established in 1890. The American Tobacco Company, alternately referred to as the ‘Tobacco Combination’, expanded rapidly during the late-19th and early-20th centuries through a constant series of mergers and acquisitions, as well as through the organization of new holding companies, such as the Continental Tobacco Company and American Snuff Company. The creation of the American Cigar Company, based in Jersey City, New Jersey, was meant to expand the Combination’s relatively limited cigar business, however, this division never approached the size of the corporation’s share of the cigarette market. By 1906, the American Tobacco Company controlled roughly 86 corporations in the United States and Cuba. The Combination maintained a multitude of plants and distribution centers scattered throughout the country and in May 1906 moved to establish a processing plant and warehouse for the American Cigar Company in Hartford, Connecticut, itself a long-standing center of the tobacco industry. In 1911, the Tobacco Combination was found to be operating in violation of Federal anti-trust laws and the corporation’s significant holdings were subsequently broken up. The ruling impacted the American Cigar Company in that it was separated from the Combination and was forced to divest of a number of small firms under its control. The company continued to operate into the late-20th century, however, the Hartford plant was closed as part of consolidation efforts that impacted the firm during the 1930s despite having employed between 50 and 100 hands throughout the 1920s. The Windsor Street tobacco warehouse and packing facility passed from the American Tobacco Company to another tobacco distribution company, American Suppliers, Inc., in 1933. American Suppliers, Inc. maintained the plant until 1965, whereupon it passed to the American Tobacco Company, which occupied it through the 1970s.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly three (3) freestanding primary buildings.

Dates of Construction

1906, ca. 1910.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former American Cigar Company plant is comprised of roughly three freestanding primary buildings located on the east side of Windsor Street, and at the southeast corner of Windsor Street’s intersection with Boce Barlow Way. The majority of the facility was built in 1906, however, the northern building was doubled in size ca. 1910 when a three-story addition was erected on its east side. The resultant structure is a three-story, 75’ x 282’ red brick warehouse. The original portion of the building has segmental-arched window openings with stone sills and three-over-three double-hung wood sash, a corbelled brick cornice, and a flat roof. The addition has rectangular window openings with concrete sills, non-original multi-pane glass-block fenestration, and a flat roof. Concrete detailing on the second-story of the building’s west (front) elevation presents the appearance of a pair of engaged towers with gable roofs, however, only the concrete features project from the plane of the building’s walls. A large plaque with detailed concrete and brick work frame a faded advertisement that reads, ‘AMERICAN CIGAR COMPANY.’ Wood porches supported by cantilevered concrete beams run along the western half of the building’s south elevation. These are linked by frame stairs that also lead to the ground level. A one-story, 60’ x 260’ red brick building stands roughly 50’ south of the warehouse. This originally housed offices, a sorting area, and a tobacco sweating room. The portion of the building delineated for each use can be identified by the type of roof located above each section, these being flat, sawtooth, and flat, respectively. The building has segmental-arched window openings with concrete sills and replacement windows, and a mix of segmental-arched and rectangular door openings. The final primary building associated with the plant is a one-story, 52’ x 26’ red brick boiler plant. This stands roughly 40’ east of the office and packing building’s east elevation but is largely hidden from view by overgrown vegetation. A 60’-tall brick chimney once stood on its east elevation, however, this has been shortened by approximately 40’.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Clerestory Monitor
• Flat
• Monitor

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The exterior walls are in need of cleaning and repairs and many of the original windows require restoration, however, overall, the plant appears well maintained and structurally sound.

Specific Location

Two legal parcels (808-818 & 830 Windsor Street) totaling 3.57 acres located on the east side of Windsor Street, and at the southeast corner of Windsor Street’s intersection with Boce Barlow Way.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 262/074/129 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →
• 262/74/128 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

3.57

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

08/31/2015

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 Hartford County, H & C.T. Smith, 1855.
6. Atlas of Hartford County, Beers, Baker & Tilden, 1869.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1885, 1900, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1950.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Hartford City Directories, Various editions.
10. The Hartford Courant, 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1950.
11. Congressional Edition, Volume 5572; U.S. Government Printing Office, 1909.
12. Federal Courts and Practice, 1912.