Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Bilco Co. 1953-2015
• Churchward Co. 1942-1950
• Steelcraft Boats, Inc. 1950-1952

Use (Historic)

• Consumer Products, Small Appliances
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

500 (1948).

Historic Narrative

The oldest portions of the former Bilco Company plant were built for the New Haven-based firm Churchward and Company during the early 1940s. Churchward and Company was organized in 1921 for the manufacture of welded metal products. These included silencers produced for the Maxim Silencer Corporation and quadrants for Wilcox, Crittenden and Company, as well as vulcanizing pans, truck tanks, and a variety of other items. The firm moved to West Haven in November 1942 after being awarded a contract to manufacture deck houses, hatches, and gun mounts for United States naval vessels. This was expanded to include hull components and sections for both ships and submarines by the end of the Second World War. Following the cessation of wartime hostilities, Churchward and Company began manufacturing welded steel-hulled pleasure boats that were marketed under the Steelcraft brand. The firm produced several Steelcraft models and at its peak during the late 1940s its workforce of 500 hands turned out six boats per day. The company was reorganized as Steelcraft Boats, Inc. in May 1950, yet filed for bankruptcy just two years later in September 1952. The Steelcraft Boats plant was subsequently acquired by the Bilco Company, a nationally-known manufacturer of metal roof hatches and basement and sidewalk doors organized in New Haven in 1926. The Bilco Company occupied the Water Street factory in 1953 and significantly expanded the plant during the 1950s and 1960s. The company continued to operate in West Haven until May 2015, whereupon the firm and its 65 headquarters employees relocated to James Street in New Haven after developmental pressures on the waterfront site led executives to seek out another location.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly fourteen (14) adjoining and freestanding primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1942, ca. 1945, ca. 1953, ca. 1960, ca. 1966, ca. 1970.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Bilco Company complex is comprised of roughly fourteen primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located on the east side of Water Street, south of Center Street and north of Main Street. The earliest portions of the plant were erected during the 1940s and include a one-story, 105’ x 150’ concrete block and steel-frame building erected as a boat fabrication shop ca. 1942, and a one-story 466’ x 41’ steel-frame assembly and painting shop likewise built ca. 1942. The boat fabrication shop is particularly notable as three large sawtooth monitors dominate the building’s roofline and extend the full depth of the block. The building is sheathed with corrugated metal sheeting and has large window openings covered with sheets of translucent plastic. Several one- and two-story steel-frame and concrete block additions were erected at the northern end of the plant during the mid-1950s and early 1960s. These included a one-story, 60’ x 133’ manufacturing building; a one-story, 60’ x 158’ manufacturing block; and a two-story, 106’ x 38’ office building. The office is of Modern styling and has concrete block curtain walls, full-height windows bays with fixed metal windows, and a flat roof. A two-story concrete block curtain wall flanks the metal and glass-enclosed entry porch, and bears a large metal sign that reads ‘Bilco.’ A two-story, 56’ x 51’ addition to the office was erected ca. 1966. This is located at the northwest corner of the plant and mimics the design of the original office building. Further one- and two-story additions were erected at the core and southern end of the Bilco Plant during the mid-to-late 1960s and early 1970s.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete
• Concrete Block
• Steel

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Sawtooth

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• EPDM
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Although sections of the exterior walls are in need of cleaning and minor repairs, the mill appears to be structurally sound. A number of the original wood or metal windows remain, however, most are in dire need of repairs.

Specific Location

Three legal parcels (5, 43, & 65 Water Street) totaling 4.8 acres located on the east side of Water Street, south of Center Street and north of Main Street.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Transport)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 044-0215-0-0000 / Link →
• 044-0214-0-0000 / Link →
• 050-0043-0-0000 / Link →

Acreage

4.8

Use (Present)

• Other: Fire 2/2019; demo and redevelopment for New Haven mall planned.
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

08/04/2015

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, 1965.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1901, 1923, 1951.
9. History of the City of New Haven to the Present Time, 1887.
10. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, 1920.
11. Motor Boating, 1948.