Mill Record New Haven

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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)
Decorative Stone Co.
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Decorative Stone Co.
Address or Location
166 Chapel Street, New Haven
County
New Haven
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
n/a
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Acme Chemicals & Insulation Co. ca. 1967-1995
  • Chemco Engineering Co. 1960-ca. 1965
  • Decorative Stone Co. 1914-1930
  • Dextone Corp. 1930-1963
  • Mo-Sai Institute, Inc. 1963-ca. 1965
  • Von Roll USA, Inc. 1995-Present (2015)

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

25-49 (1939).

Historic Narrative

The Decorative Stone Company was organized in New Haven, Connecticut in 1914. The business specialized in the manufacture of cast stone and other masonry products and was founded by Louis A. Falco and George L. and Charles H. Scheffler. Falco served as the firm’s president, while the two Scheffler brothers held the roles of secretary and treasurer, and foreman, respectively. The business initiated operations with $10,000 in capital and shortly after establishment erected a new plant in New Haven near the intersection of River Street and Blatchley Avenue. The Decorative Stone Company plant was significantly enlarged in 1924, whereupon two new blocks were erected along Chapel Street. These were identified as being of thoroughly Modern design by local newspapers with notable features consisting of the cast stone surround with intricate geometric patterns flanking the plant’s main entrance on Chapel Street, and a cast stone frieze depicting the major eras of architectural development spanning the full width of the office building’s façade. The latter includes over 25 individual human and animal figures and depicts eras ranging from the primitive age, through the Egyptian, Classical, Gothic, present-day periods. The façade was created using ‘Dextone,’ a proprietary manufactured building stone. In 1930, the Decorative Stone Company merged with the Economy Concrete Company, another notable New Haven-based manufacturer of cast stone products, to form the Dextone Company, which continued to occupy the Chapel Street plant. In 1938, the Dextone Company partnered with John J. Earley, a renowned architect and innovator in the use of concrete in architectural design, to develop a system of precast concrete wall panels to be used in the construction of the administration buildings at the United States Government’s David W. Taylor Model Testing Basin facility in Bethesda, Maryland. Earley’s design involved the application of exposed aggregate panels used as permanent forms for cast-in-place reinforced concrete walls, the first such use of precast paneling in the country. The process of producing the panels, known as the Mo-Sai method, was patented by Earley in 1940, and a group of precast concrete manufacturers, including the Dextone Company, subsequently formed the Mo-Sai Associates (later the Mo-Sai Institute, Inc.), which licensed Earley’s methods. The Dextone Company acquired Earley’s patents and copyrights on Mo-Sai in 1940. By the late 1950s Mo-Sai panels were among the most widely used finished concrete products in the country and the Dextone Company had provided them for such notable projects as the bridge overpasses on the Milford Parkway, 1940-42, the Yale School of Forestry’s Greeley Memorial Laboratory and the Connecticut State Highway Department Headquarters, both built in 1959. The Dextone Company remained in operation into the 1960s, however, by 1963, the firm’s management had reorganized the business as the Chemco Engineering Company. This firm manufactured cast stone products, and remained in New Haven for just two years. In 1965, the company was moved to Woodbridge, Connecticut, whereupon the Chapel Street plant was occupied by the Acme Chemicals and Insulation Company. Acme Chemicals and Insulation retained the property until 1995 when it was acquired by Von Roll USA, an electrical insulation manufacturer.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Five (5) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1914, 1924, ca. 1940, ca. 1980.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

Architectural Description

The former Dextone Company plant is comprised of roughly five primary adjoining blocks located on the south side of Chapel Street, at the southeast corner of Chapel Street’s intersection with Blatchley Avenue. The oldest and original block extends along Blatchley Avenue and was erected in 1914. The building is a two-story, 70’ x 236’ reinforced concrete structure with concrete block piers, brick apron walls, and a flat roof. Window openings can only be found on the second floor, these being comprised of rectangular openings with concrete sills and multi-pane metal windows with pivot-style openings. A three-story, 40’ x 60’ metal-frame structure that appears to be a ventilation system was erected on top of the building ca. 1970. This has corrugated metal walls and a flat roof. A two-story, 72’ x 37’ brick office building was erected adjoining the north elevation of the original plant in 1924. This is of Modernist styling and has precast concrete wall panels, plain rectangular window openings with paired metal sash, and a flat roof. The office’s façade has a cast stone surround with intricate geometric patterns decorating the entryway, and a cast stone frieze spanning the full width of the building. The latter depicts the major eras of architectural development and includes over 25 individual human and animal figures and depicts eras ranging from the primitive age, through the Egyptian, Classical, Gothic, present-day periods. A one-and-a-half-story, 64’ x 136’ stone cutting building adjoins the east elevations of both the office block and the original manufacturing plant. This was built in 1924 and has a façade of cast stone panels that lacks window openings yet has a series of detailed friezes spanning its parapet. A two-story, 44’ x 80’ concrete block addition adjoins the building’s south elevation. The addition was built ca. 1940 and houses shipping and storage operations. It has large window openings with multi-pane metal sash along its east elevation and a flat roof above. The final block associated with the plant was erected at its northeast corner ca. 1980. It stands two stories tall and measures 101’ x 60’ overall. The building is of steel-frame construction and is sheathed with precast concrete panels. It lacks window openings and has a flat roof. Several loading doors are located on the south elevation.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. While a number of the surviving original windows are in need of minor repairs, the majority of the plant appears to be well maintained overall.

Property Information

Specific Location

One legal parcel (166 Chapel Street) totaling 1.53 acres located on the south side of Chapel Street, at the southeast corner of Chapel Street’s intersection with Blatchley Avenue.

Adjacent To

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

1.53

Use (Present)

Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/08/2015

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, 1911, 1923, 1950.
  9. New Haven City Directory; Various editions.
  10. Concrete Construction Engineering Handbook; Nawy, Edward G., 1997.
  11. Hartford Courant, 1914, 1930, 1959, 1974.
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file



Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

10/08/2015