Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• American Electro Products Co. unknown
• Beardsley and Wolcott Mfg. Co. c.1929-c.1945
• Berbecker and Rowland Mfg. Co. 1901-c.1929
• Vickers Inc. c.1945-c.1950
• Waterbury Corrugated Container Co. c.1950-c.1970s

Use (Historic)

• Consumer Products, Small Appliances
• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

In 1879, Julius Berbecker, an importer of French brass upholstery nails, organized the Tucker Manufacturing Company in Waterbury to produce the very product he had been importing. It was reported that the company grew within only four years to become the largest manufacturer of ‘fancy’ nails in the United States. In 1886, Berbecker took on a new partner, H.S. Rowland, and the firm was incorporated as Berbecker and Rowland Manufacturing Company producing other brass hardware. The factory at the corner of Huntington and Thomaston Avenues was built by Berbecker and Rowland starting in 1901. Berbecker and Rowland merged with the Beardsley Manufacturing Company, which had itself merged with the Frank E. Wolcott Manufacturing Company in 1927. The new company became the Beardsley and Wolcott Manufacturing Company, which manufactured hardware and appliances, including electric toasters, irons, blade stroppers for which it held patents. It was soon purchased by the Silex Company, coffee makers. By 1945, the Beardsley and Wolcott subsidiary was out of business and the building was bought by the Vickers Inc., a tool manufacturer with several other locations in Waterbury. By 1950, the building was occupied by the Waterbury Corrugated Container Company until some time in the 1970s. The American Electro Products Company (parts plating) may also have occupied the building for a time. Most recently retailers had space in the building which has been vacant since 2013.

Number of Existing Buildings

Eight (8) blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1890-c.1945

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Loft
• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The former Berbecker and Rowland factory building consists of 8 blocks. The three-story brick pier flat-roof building paralleling Huntington Avenue, measures approximately 440‘ by 40’, and was built in four sections between 1901 and 1910. Between Huntington Avenue and this main block is a one-story brick-pier flat-roof power house, built c.1905, approximately 95’ by 40’, and further west along Huntington Avenue is a one-story brick pier production shed, c.1910, approximately 120’ by 40’. At the southeast corner of the main building is a c.1914 L-shaped three-story brick-pier structure with flat roof, approximately 174’ by 65’. A three-story brick pier block with flat roof to the west, approximately 80’ by 40’, dates to c.1908. The southwesternmost building is a c.1945 addition that incorporated a c.1914 structure and measures approximately 280’ by 135’.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Post and Beam
• Structural Steel or Iron
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Deteriorated

Condition Notes

As of August 2015, the building was being gutted. Purpose unknown.

Specific Location

Located at the SWC of Thomaston and Huntington Avenues

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 0088-0024-0001 / Link →

Acreage

5.38

Use (Present)

• Vacant

Form Completed By

Michael Forino

Date

08/20/2015

Bibliography

1. Hartford Courant.
2. Pape, William J. History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut,. Chicago; New York: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918.
3. Kelley, Etna M. The Business Founding Date Directory. Scarsdale, N.Y.: Morgan & Morgan, 1954.