Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Atlantic Screwworks

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

See State Register nomination Atlantic Screw Works started in Castleton, NY in 1877 and failed after two years. In an effort to salvage his investment, the chief creditor moved the firm to rented quarters at Colt Armory. David Tilton, superintendent of Atlantic Screw, also moved to Hartford; he ran the shop and contributed designs for metal-forming production equipment. Atlantic Screw made wood screws primarily, in contrast to Hartford Machine Screw Co., which made screws for precision mechanisms and used metal-cutting processes. Tilton bought Atlantic Screw in 1887, and in 1902 built the first factory on this site. In 1910 Atlantic Screw built an addition. (Roth)

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1902, 1910, c.1915

Architect

Davis and Brooks

Builder

n/a

Building Type

n/a

Architectural Description

The first 1902 factory is 2-story and 152' x 55' with a 1-story wing, 85' x 55'. Both brick-pier, timber-framed structures have near-flat roofs and segmental-arched windows with stone sills. In 1910 Atlantic Screw built the attached 3-story, flat-roofed brick addition, 85' x 45'. A slightly later addition, 3- story and 83' x 55', also has brick walls and a flat roof. All the buildings have slow-burn flooring (two plies of floorboards with no joists), and this plant demonstrates the success of that technique in minimizing structural damage from fire. In 1975 a fire raged for several hours through the 1902 section of the vacant plant. In recent renovation work the contractors found the load-bearing capacity of the building virtually unimpaired; some floorboards required replacement, but the charred beams and posts suffered only negligible decrease in strength. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

n/a

Condition

Excellent

Condition Notes

Rehabbed c.2014.

Specific Location

Address is 81, 83, 85 Charter Oak Avenue. Corner of Wyllys St and Charter Oak Ave.
Listed on the State Register of Historic Places, 2014.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 271/466/84 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

2.33

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Other: This property was rehabbed by CIL c.2014 for office space and is anchored by Connecticut Association for Non-Profits.

Form Completed By

n/a

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
2. Forino, Michael. 2014. Atlantic Screw Works State Register Nomination. On file at SHPO, Hartford CT.