Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Connecticut Metal Finishing Co. 1940-1953
• United Manufacturing Co. ca. 1955-late-20th c.

Use (Historic)

• Electrical Equipment
• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

The Connecticut Metal Finishing Company was established by Leslie J. Scott and George F. Giering between 1940 and 1941. Scott and Giering were formerly the proprietors of the Industrial Finishing Company, a metal enameling firm located at 61 Hamilton Street in New Haven, and the partners appear to have reorganized and renamed the business upon completing their new Haig Street plant around 1940. The Connecticut Metal Finishing Company provided a range of services including metal plating, painting, and enameling and during the Second World War chrome-plated machine gun barrels on contract for the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Giering left the firm to establish his own company, Giering Metal Finishing, during the late 1940s, however, Scott continued to operate the Haig Street plant until 1953 when the firm moved to a new plant at 2155 State Street in Hamden. After the departure of the Connecticut Metal Finishing Company, the Haig Street property eventually passed to the United Manufacturing Company, a producer of aircraft testing equipment owned by the Long Island, New York-based Maxson Electronics Corporation. In 1961, the United Manufacturing Company was acquired by the newly-formed UMC Electronics Company, an electronics firm based in North Haven, Connecticut, however, the company’s Hamden plant remained in operation into the late 20th century.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly five (5) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1940, ca. 1980.

Architect

Leo F. Caproni; Westcott & Mapes (northern addition)

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Connecticut Metal Finishing Company plant is comprised of roughly five adjoining and freestanding primary blocks located on the north side of Haig Street, at the northeast corner of the intersection of Haig and Marne Streets. All of the buildings were erected ca. 1940 and are of red brick construction. The most prominent block is a one-story, 58’ x 200’ office and manufacturing block located at the southwest corner of the complex. The building has a concrete watertable, rectangular window openings with multipane metal sash and concrete sills (these formed by the watertable), tile coping, and a flat roof. The symmetrical five-bay façade has a centered entrance consisting of a pair of metal and glass entry doors set in a large rectangular opening and flanked by a plain concrete surround. Note: the original Mo-Sai panel door surround and concrete continuous lintel around the front office are missing. A one-story, 148’ x 140’ red brick manufacturing block adjoins the aforementioned building’s north elevation. This is similar in design to the main block, yet has a T-shaped clerestory monitor centered on its roof. Two small storage and mechanical blocks adjoining the eastern end of the second building’s south elevation. These stand one-story tall and measure 24’ x 72’ and 34’ x 42’. The smaller of the two blocks is notable for a loading bay with a roll-up style metal door on its south elevation. The final building associated with the former Connecticut Metal Finishing Company plant is a three-bay red brick garage located at the southeast corner of the property. This stands one story tall and measures 34’ x 24’. The building has three roll-up style metal doors on its west elevation and a flat roof trimmed with tile coping.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat
• Monitor

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair to deteriorated condition. The various blocks appear to be structurally sound, however, the majority of the windows are broken, missing, or deteriorated.

Specific Location

One 2.21-acre parcel (41 Haig Street) located on the north side of Haig Street, at the northeast corner of the intersection of Haig and Marne Streets.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 2327/ 004 / Link →

Acreage

2.21

Use (Present)

• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

01/13/2015

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Map of New Haven County, H & C.T. Smith, 1856.
4. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1923, 1951.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
9. New Haven City Directory, Various dates.
10. New York Times, 1961.
11. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, Clark, S.J., 1918.
12. Information, historic photographs and sources for Leo Caproni courtesy Gregg Bateman (2018).