Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Chapman Manufacturing Co. ca. 1890-1902
• Connecticut Telephone and Electric Co. Inc. 1902-late-20th c.

Use (Historic)

• Electrical Equipment
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

100-199 (1936).

Historic Narrative

The Connecticut Telephone and Electrical Company was founded by Ernest C. Wilcox in 1893 for the purpose of manufacturing telephone instruments. At the age of 21 Wilcox had produced and sold four hand-made telephones to the old Meriden Brewery for $100 and this launched his industrial career. A year after organizing the Connecticut Telephone and Electrical Company Wilcox was joined by a partner, Burton L. Lawton. Wilcox served as president of the firm with Lawton as vice-president and treasurer, and B.C. Rogers as secretary. Initially, the Connecticut Telephone and Electrical Company conducted business in the old Malleable Iron plant on North Colony Street, which later became a factory for International Silver Company. By 1902, the firm had grown to such an extent that it purchased the former saddle harness factory operated by the Chapman Manufacturing Company on Britannia Street, and on March 1, 1903, the firm was incorporated with $36,000 in capital. Around 1905, the company began manufacturing automobile spark coils in addition to telephones, telephone switchboards, and other electrical supplies. By 1906, the company is noted as being the largest manufacturer of this line of goods in the northeast. Business thrived during the 1910s, and the company expanded several times. By 1920, four additions were added to the Britannia Street factory. In 1913, the production of battery-type ignitions was developed and by 1921 the Connecticut Telephone and Electrical Company was the largest manufacturer of auto ignitions in the world. This prominence was not to last, however, as the company's ignition was soon rendered obsolete by further developments in the automobile industry, and production was eventually abandoned. During World War I, the company produced portable antenna field sets for the U.S. War Department, along with mine parts for mines used in the North Sea Theater. The company was cited for its war contribution in 1920, and in the post-war period, the firm began production of molded insulation. This business was eventually incorporated into the Connecticut Molded Products Corporation, which was acquired by General Electric Company. In 1924, Wilcox purchased Lawton’s interest in the firm, and remained president until 1929 when the company was purchased by the Commercial Instrument Corporation. In 1938, the company was reorganized as a division of Great American Industries. It handled large orders for the armed services during World War II, and was again cited for its contributions. Despite posting peak profits during the early 1950s, the company had slipped into bankruptcy by the middle of the decade. In 1958, a group of local businessmen, headed by Carl Schultz, president of Silver City Glass Company and the Silver City Crystal Company, and the owner of Radio Station WMMW, purchased the company. The new owners increased production of items for the general market alongside military contracts, including dial telephone intercommunication systems for offices and industrial plants. The revived company survived for several more decades, eventually closing during the late-20th century.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly ten (10) blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1890, ca. 1903, ca. 1930, ca. 1947, ca. 1950, ca. 1960.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Connecticut Telephone and Electrical Company plant is comprised of approximately ten primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located on the north side of Britannia Street, roughly 400’ east of Britannia Street’s intersection with Center Street. The earliest section of the plant was erected for the Chapman Manufacturing Company ca. 1890, and is a five-story, 40’ x 86’ red brick manufacturing block. The building is of typical brick pier construction and has segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, paired windows (originally four-over-four double-hung wood sash, which in some cases are preserved), a corbelled brick cornice, tile coping, and a flat roof with four large sawtooth monitors. A large, five-story, U-shaped addition was built abutting the original block’s north elevation ca. 1903. This is comprised of four adjoining blocks measuring 40’ x 88’, 40’ x 60’, 40’ x 100’, and 40’ x 100’, respectively, all of which, except for the lack of sawtooth monitors, mimic the details found in the ca. 1890 block. A pair of five-story blocks were erected on the interior side of the U-shaped addition ca. 1930. They consist of a 32’ x 66’ reinforced concrete and brick structure with tripartite windows, four-over-four double-hung sash, concrete sills and lintels, and a flat roof; and a 26’ x 35’ red brick building with segmental-arched window openings, paired four-over-four double-hung sash, concrete sills, and a flat roof. A large, modern one-story building was erected at the southeast corner of the plant ca. 1960. This measures 112’ x 130’ and is of concrete block construction with brick piers accenting the exterior walls. Plate glass ribbon windows flank the main entry, which is located on the south elevation. The entry is comprised of a metal and glass entry door flanked by large plate glass sidelights and with a glass transom above. Additional one-story manufacturing and accessory blocks are located throughout the complex, most erected during the middle of the 20th century.

Exterior Material(s)

• Aluminum Siding or Paneling
• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Sawtooth
• Shed

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Metal

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The factory is in fair to deteriorated condition. The majority of the blocks appear to be structurally sound, however, the windows (most of which are original) throughout most of the complex are broken or deteriorated and the state of the roofs is unknown.

Specific Location

Three legal parcels (46, 70, & 80 Britannia St.) totaling 4.69 acres located on the north side of Britannia Street, roughly 400’ east of Britannia Street’s intersection with Center Street.

Adjacent To

• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 46 Brittainia St;0404-0146-0030-0031 / Link →
• 80 Brittania St;0404-0146-0035-0038 / Link →
• 70 Brittania St;0404-0146-0032-0034 / Link →

Acreage

4.69

Use (Present)

• Vacant

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, 1919, 1941, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1969.
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.