Mill Record Waterbury
RETURN TO ‘FIND MILLS’Disclaimer: Content for these properties was compiled in 2014-2017 from a variety of sources and is subject to change. Updates are occasionally made under Property Information, however the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation (dba Preservation Connecticut) makes no representation or warranty that the information is complete or up-to-date.
- Complex Name (Common)
- American Fastener Co.
- Complex Name (Historic)
-
- American Fastener Co.
- Address or Location
- 54 Maple Street, Waterbury
- County
- New Haven
- Historic Designation
- Associated Mill Community
- n/a
- Historic Information
Companies Associated w/Complex
- American Fastener Co. 1915-c.1950
Use (Historic)
Largest Documented Workforce
12 (1918)
Historic Narrative
The American Fastener Co. was formed in 1915 by Charles Josephson, John Draher and Max Kiessling. Draher was the owner of General Manufacturing Co., which made rivets, bolts and screws. Kiessling also worked at General Manufacturing, and had invented a new method and machine for fastening clothing. American Fastener Co. was organized to produce this new press button dress fastener, intended to replace the traditional hook and eye. The factory was built in 1915, and by 1918 there were a dozen employees. Kiessling received a patent for his fastener in 1919, and was the company's president. A patent for the 'Lockfast' trademark for the company's fasteners was issued in December 1949.
- Architectural Information
Number of Existing Buildings
Two (2) blocks.
Dates of Construction
1915, c.1925
Architect
n/a
Builder
n/a
Building Type
Architectural Description
The three-story brick pier building along Maple Avenue, approx. 45 ft. x 120 ft., was built in 1915 at a cost of $8,500. It housed a boiler room at the center rear of the first floor. The four-story brick pier wing off the northwest end along Maple Street, approx. 45 ft. x 160 ft., was built between 1922 and 1950. Both buildings have segmental arched windows, concrete sills, corbelled brick cornices and flat roofs. A former dye house wing off the northeast end was demolished after 1950.
Exterior Material(s)
Structural System(s)
Roof Form
Roof Material
n/a
Power Source
n/a
Condition
n/a
Condition Notes
n/a
- Property Information
-
Specific Location
NEC of Maple Street and Maple Avenue
Adjacent To
n/a
Exterior Visible from Public Road?
Yes
Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link
- 0275-0087-0115 / Link →
Acreage
0.36
Use (Present)
- Sources
-
Form Completed By
Renée Tribert
Date
September 2016
Bibliography
- Sanborn Insurance Atlases.
- Pape, William J. History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, vol 1 (Chicago: S J Clarke Publishing Company, 1918).
- Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents for the Year 1919 (Washington: Government Printing Office 1920).
- United States Patent and Trademark Office web.
- Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file
-
Photographer
n/a
Photography Date
September 2016
