Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Auburn Manufacturing Co. 1937- Present
• Charles L. Jarvis Co. c.1935-
• Portland Silk Co. 1898-1935

Use (Historic)

• Rubber & Chemicals
• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

250 (1935)

Historic Narrative

National Register nomination pending 11/2016 This facility was initially occupied by the Portland Silk Company, established in 1898. Trade embargoes against European countries in the years following the Civil War through the beginning of the twentieth century had led to opportunities for small silk manufacturing start ups in New England. However, the Portland Silk Company could not withstand the financial pressures of the Great Depression, and in 1935, after 37 years in business, it's stockholders voted to liquidate company assets, and over 250 employees lost their jobs. In 1937, the Auburn Manufacturing Company had outgrown it's rented space on Sigourney Street in Hartford, and purchased the Portland Silk Company buildings. It has produced rubber and plastic gaskets and washers at this complex since that time. The Charles L Jarvis Company occupied the western building on Pease Avenue after 1934, moving from Hartford. Established in 1901 by Charles L. Jarvis through purchase of the Ideal Manufacturing Company, the firm made nutcrackers and nutpicks. By 1910 Charles’ son Marshall N. Jarvis joined the company, and in 1934, William F. Jarvis (Charles' grandson) came on. The company began hand finishing airfoils for the General Electric Company in the late 1940s; in the 1950s this work evolved into a subsidiary called Jarvis Airfoil Inc. which also produced a full range of compressor blades and vanes from raw material to finished parts.

Number of Existing Buildings

Five (5) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1898, c.1900, c.1924

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Loft
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The complex consists of three major buildings in a u-shape. The oldest building is a c.1898 two-story, wood frame, gable roof loft building that faces Stack Street. The eastern two-story brick block with gable roof was constructed c.1900. The western block is a c.1924-34 brick three-story loft building with a flat roof. Smaller motor and boiler houses were constructed between 1913 and 1924, replacing or updating the 1898 powerhouse.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Post and Beam
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Good, Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

Two parcels totaling 1.22 acres between Stack Street, Rome Avenue, and Pease Avenue in Middletown, Connecticut.
Individually listed (pending, 2016) on the National Register of Historic Places.

Adjacent To

• Railroad
• Water (for Transport)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 20/ / 0122 / Link →
• 20/ / 0123 / Link →

Acreage

0.47; 0.75

Use (Present)

• Industrial
• Other: Redev res approved 2015. 27 Stack St 24k sq ft; 29 Stack St 30k sq ft.

Form Completed By

Michael Forino

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. 1947 Industrial Directory of Connecticut.
2. Jarvis Airfoil Inc. website.