Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• American Wire Brush Co. 1946-ca. 1970
• American Wire Corp. ca. 1970-Present (2015)

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

The American Wire Brush Company was organized in Newtown, Connecticut by two Newtown residents, John T. McCarthy and Martin McNamara, in 1930. McCarthy was also a partner in the Newtown Coal and Grain Company and the American Wire Brush Company’s first shop was located in a small frame building situated east of the coal yard along Church Hill Road. A new dedicated plant was erected roughly 300’ north of Church Street around 1946, and it was here that the American Wire Brush Company continued to produce small wire brushes into the late-1960s. John T. McCarthy died in 1963 and control of the American Wire Brush Company passed to his wife, Mary H. McCarthy, until his son, John T. McCarthy Jr., eventually assumed the role of president and treasurer. The firm was reorganized as the American Wire Corporation around 1970, and the firm’s output eventually shifted away from wire brushes to the production of drawn wire used by coil winding, transformer, and electric motor manufacturers. The American Wire Corporation remains in operation in Newtown and continues to occupy the Church Hill Road factory.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly nine (9) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1946, ca. 1960, ca. 1970, ca. 1980.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The American Wire Brush Company plant is comprised of roughly nine primary adjoining blocks located on the north side of Church Hill Road, northwest of the intersection of Church Hill Road and a private way identified as Wire Road. The three oldest blocks associated with the factory are situated at the core of the plant and were all erected in 1946. The main block is a one-story, 34’ x 154’ concrete block building with stuccoed exterior walls, rectangular window openings, concrete window sills, a mix of six-over-three double-hung and fixed 12-pane windows, and a front-facing gable roof. The primary entry to the plant is located on the east side of its three-bay façade and consists of a single pass-through door sheltered by a gabled portico with wood brackets and exposed rafter tails. One-story ells located at the southern end of the main block’s east elevation and center of its west elevation were built as part of the original plant. These measure 57’ x 22’ and 38’ x 22’, respectively, and share the majority of details found on the main block. Numerous additions to the plant were completed during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. A one-story, 25’ x 117’ block was erected adjoining the main building’s east elevation ca. 1960, and this was expanded to the east through the construction of a 32’ x 117’ addition ca. 1980. Two one-story metal-frame additions were built adjoining the west elevation of the west side of the plant ca. 1960. These measure 62’ x 76’ and 21’ x 50’ and have a front-facing gable and shed roof, respectively. The larger block is notable for a floor-to-ceiling window wall spanning the majority of its façade (south elevation). The two final blocks associated with the plant were erected on the northwest side of the complex ca. 1980. Both stand one-story tall and they measure 48’ x 60’ and 82’ x 122’.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete Block
• Steel

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Metal

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The original windows in the majority of the plant have been retained and the entirety of the complex appears to be well maintained and structurally sound.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (57A Church Hill Road) totaling 5.22 acres located on the north side of Church Hill Road, northwest of the intersection of Church Hill Road and a private way identified as Wire Road. Address formerly Wire Road.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 27/6/2. / Link →

Acreage

5.22

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

11/05/2015

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 New Haven County; Clark, Richard, 1859.
6. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
7. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1950.
9. Newtown Directory; Various editions.
10. Hartford Courant, 1961, 1972.