Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Capitol Knife Co. 1922-1929
• Capitol Products Co. 1929-ca. 1985

Use (Historic)

• Consumer Products, Small Appliances
• Electrical Equipment
• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

19 (1939).

Historic Narrative

NOTE: DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR NR LISTING AS PART OF SMALL INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT (w/ 10 Bridge St, 9 Willow St, and possibly 119 Willow St) IN 2023 BY SHPO. The origins of the Capitol Products Company date to 1919 and the founding of the Capitol Knife Company in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm was established by three Italian immigrants, Giovanni Colavecchio, Giuseppe Fazilio, and Giuseppe DiBiasi, and specialized in the manufacture of pocket knives. All three of the men had resided in Winsted during the 1910s and it is unclear why they moved to Hartford in order to organize the business. DiBiasi was a former employee of Winsted’s Empire Knife Company, while both Colavecchio and Fazilio had relatives who worked for the firm (it is also possible they were employed there at one point or another themselves). The Capitol Knife Company remained in Hartford for just three years before it was moved to a former storage building located along the north side of Willow Street in Winsted. In 1929, the firm began manufacturing small electrical appliances such as toasters and hot plates and the business was reorganized as the Capitol Products Company. By 1939, employment at the firm numbered 19 hands and the product line had been expanded to include electric grills and waffle irons, which were sold under the brand name ‘Lady Winsted.’ Some of these appliances were actually manufactured by Winsted-based Son-Chief Electrics and marketed under the Capitol Products Company name, however production also took place on Willow Street. In 1946, in need for additional manufacturing space necessitated the construction of a substantial new factory building. This drastically increased production capacity and allowed the Capitol Products Company to diversify further. By the 1960s, the firm’s catalog included electric toasters, percolators, barbecues, waffle and grill irons, heaters, and hot plates. The company remained in business and under management of the Colavecchio family into the 1980s, however, the plant is currently vacant. Note: 3/2023 SHPO determined complex to be eligible for listing as part of a small historic industrial district (10 Bridge St incl'g rear; 9 Willow, 35 Willow and possible 119 Willow).

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1890, ca. 1922, 1946.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The former Capitol Products Company factory consists of three adjoining primary blocks located on the north side of Willow Street, roughly 250’ east of Willow Street’s intersection with Prospect Street and along the south bank of the Mad River. The oldest of the three buildings is a wood-frame structure built ca. 1890. It fronts on Willow Street and is a three-and-a-half-story, 28’ x 66’ block with a rough-cut stone foundation, rectangular window openings with one-over-one double-hung sash and wood trim, asphalt shingle siding (this manufactured to look like red brick), and a front-facing gable roof. There are two wide door openings centered on the south (façade) elevation. The first-floor entry has been reduced in size and converted into a pass-through entrance with a paneled wood door, while the doors on the second floor have been replaced with board infill and small windows. A one-story, 10’ x 12’ red brick boiler house erected ca. 1922 adjoins the southeast corner of the ca. 1890 block. It has a segmental-arched window opening with a concrete sill and brick lintel, brick parapets, tile coping, and flat roof. A tall, rectangular red brick chimney projects from the boiler house and rises above the roofline of the ca. 1890 block. A three-story, 105’ x 68’ steel-frame addition to the plant was constructed adjoining the west elevation of the ca. 1890 block in 1946. This housed manufacturing operations and has a concrete foundation, red brick apron walls, large rectangular or ribbon window openings, concrete sills, multipane metal sash with awning-style openings, tile coping, and a flat roof. The primary entrance to the plant is located at the eastern end of the 1946 block’s south (façade) elevation. This consists of a pair of aluminum and glass doors topped by a blind transom. A loading bay with a metal roll-up style door is located at the western end of the elevation.

Exterior Material(s)

• Asphalt Shingles
• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The plant is in fair condition. A number of the windows have been damaged, however, the buildings appear structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 0.28-acre parcel (35 Willow St.) located on the north side of Willow Street, roughly 250’ east of Willow Street’s intersection with Prospect Street and along the south bank of the Mad River.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)
• Business District

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 110/055/023. / Link →

Acreage

0.28

Use (Present)

• Other: 4/2022: $1,818,854 CT Communities Challenge Grant for 35 Willow Street, Bridge Street, Rowley Street, and other Downtown Winsted locations): The town, in partnership with Miller Crossing Willow LLC, will adaptively remediate and reuse the property on 35 Willow Street to house new businesses/offices. The grant funds will also be used for sidewalk and street intersection realignment and repairs, wayfinding, public art/mural and downtown walking tour educational panels. 3/2023 SHPO determined complex to be eligible for listing as part of a small historic industrial district (10 Bridge St incl'g rear; 9 Willow, 35 Willow and possible 119 Willow).
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

04/28/2016

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. Sanborn Map Company, 1887, 1892, 1897, 1904, 1909, 1919, 1931, 1947.
6. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
7. Fairfield City Directories, Various editions.
8. Hartford Courant, 1939, 1944, 1985.
9. Billboard Magazine, 1959, 1960.