Mill Record Meriden

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Disclaimer: Content for these properties was compiled in 2014-2017 from a variety of sources and is subject to change. Updates are occasionally made under Property Information, however the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation (dba Preservation Connecticut) makes no representation or warranty that the information is complete or up-to-date.

Complex Name (Common)
Charles Parker Co. # 1
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Charles Parker Co. # 1
Address or Location
57 High Street, Meriden
County
New Haven
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
n/a
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Charles Parker Co. ca. 1844-ca. 1950
  • Connecticut Record Mfg. Corp. ca. 1950

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

1500 (all of the firm's Meride

Historic Narrative

Charles Parker was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, in 1809. After working for various manufacturers in Southington, Naugatuck, and Waterbury, he traveled to Meriden in 1828 to take a job making coffee mills for Patrick Lewis. A year later, with just $70 in capital, Parker struck out on his own and secured a 13-month contract producing coffee mills for the firm of Lewis and Holt. After turning out $1,800 in goods over the span of his original contract, Parker was granted a second contract to manufacture coffee mills, ladles, and skimmers. To do so, Parker took on a partner, Jared Lewis, to whom he eventually sold the small operation in January 1831. Parker took the proceeds of the aforementioned sale and for $650 purchased a house and property located between High and Elm Streets, south of East Main Street. By the spring of 1832, he had built a small shop for the production of waffle irons, as well as a coffee mill of his own, much improved, design. The firm of Lewis and Holt failed in 1833, thus opening up the market to Parker’s wares. These were manufactured with various business partners during the late-1830s and early-1840s, and peddlers traveled as far as Montgomery, Alabama, distributing and selling the goods. Parker’s business grew steadily as a result. Local histories note that his High Street plant was initially powered by a blind horse, plodding in a circle turning a pole sweep day in and day out. In 1844, however, the factory was significantly expanded and Parker became the first Meriden manufacturer to introduce steam power. By 1906, the plant covered over 15 acres and consisted of over two dozen buildings powered by four engines and twenty boilers comprising a total of 2,500 horsepower. Charles Parker eventually went on to greatly expand the lines of goods manufactured at the numerous plants he established throughout Meriden, including the production of plated hollow ware, spectacles, lamps, vises, piano stools, and hardware. He also founded a number of separate but associated firms, including the Parker Brothers Gun Company, Parker Clock Company, and the Meriden Curtain Fixture Company. In 1906 these combined entities employed over 1,500 Meriden workers. The Charles Parker Company was incorporated in 1876 with $500,000 in capital. Charles Parker served as president, while his sons Dexter W. and Charles E. Parker served as secretary and treasurer, and vice president, respectively. Charles Parker began a slow retirement shortly thereafter and his sons eventually assumed full control of the business, which was managed from the sprawling High Street plant throughout the majority of its history. In 1940, the Charles Parker Company acquired the Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Company, also of Meriden, and consolidated the majority of its combined operations in the latter’s Hanover Street plant. By the early 1950s, the western half of the High Street property (currently 48 Elm Street) had been occupied by the Connecticut Record Manufacturing Corporation, while the eastern half was acquired by the City of Meriden, which used it to accommodate the repair and storage needs of its Facilities Department. The latter portion of the plant is currently occupied by an auto repair shop.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Ten (10) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1844, ca. 1880, ca. 1910, ca. 1920, 1920, ca. 1980

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

Architectural Description

The Charles Parker Company plant is comprised of approximately ten primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located on three abutting parcels bounded by High Street to the east, Charles Street to the south, and Elm Street to the west. The majority of the some two dozen buildings that historically comprised the sprawling complex were demolished over the course of the mid-to-late 19th century, however, a number of historically significant blocks remain. The earliest section of the surviving plant is a one-story, 60’ x 202’ red brick foundry building erected ca. 1844. This is located on the west side of High Street behind a one-and-a-half-story, 60’ x 52’ red brick addition built adjoining its east elevation ca. 1880. The combined block has segmental-arched window openings with stone stills, a corbelled and denticulated brick cornice with cornice returns, and a front-facing gable roof. The elevation facing High Street has a five-bay façade with a central loading bay set in a pedimented brick opening. Three red brick cross-gable ells were erected adjoining the north and south elevations of the foundry building ca. 1910. These measure roughly 105’ x 52’, 122’ x 63’, and 93’ x 63’, and stand one- to one-and-a-half-stories in height. The most notable is the ell located at the southeast corner of the plant near the intersection of High and Charles Streets. This is a one-and-a-half-story block with raised basement level. It has star-shaped masonry anchors, segmental-arched window openings on its basement and main levels, stone window sills, multi-pane metal sash with hopper style openings, a denticulated and corbelled brick cornice, and a low-pitch side-gabled roof. A pass-through door is centered on the main floor of the block’s south elevation. This is set in a segmental-arched opening and is flanked by sidelights. Another significant portion of the plant stands roughly 190’ west of the foundry building. This is a three-story, 50’ x 208’ reinforced concrete manufacturing building with a flat roof erected by the Charles Parker Company in 1920. The block’s large window bays are framed by heavy concrete piers, and a three-story, 34’ x 18’ ell is located at the northern end of its west elevation. Most of the building’s window openings have been infilled with concrete block, while some have been reduced in size and sliding windows added. A one-story, flat-roofed manufacturing block and warehouse was built adjoining the east elevation of the 1920 building ca. 1980. This measures 118’ x 201’ and is of reinforced concrete construction.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The factory is in overall fair condition. The majority of the blocks appear to be structurally sound, however, a large percentage of the original windows have been removed and the openings infilled with brick or concrete block.

Property Information

Specific Location

Three legal parcels (41 & 57 High St., and 48 Elm St.) totaling 6.738 acres bounded by High Street to the east, Charles Street to the south, and Elm Street to the west.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

6.74

Use (Present)

Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

05/22/2015

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, H & C.T. Smith, 1856.
  6. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
  7. Birdseye View of Meriden, Connecticut, O.H. Bailey & Co., 1875.
  8. Birdseye View of Meriden, Connecticut, Hughes and Bailey, 1918.
  9. Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1891, 1896, 1901, 1950, 1953.
  10. Hartford Courant, 1906.
  11. An Historic Record and Pictorial Description of the Town of Meriden, Connecticut; Gillespie, C. Bancroft, ed., 1906.
  12. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County; Hill, Everett G., 1918.
  13. History of New Haven County, Connecticut; Rockey, John L., 1892.
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file



Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

05/22/2015