Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• American Metal Crafters, LLC. 1998-Present (2014)
• EIS Manufacturing Co. 1941-1991
• Middletown Silk Co. 1924-1938

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

400 (1980)

Historic Narrative

The earliest section of the former EIS Manufacturing Company plant was erected at the intersection of High and North Main Streets by the Middletown Silk Company in 1924. The latter firm was organized that year by Max, Harry A., Emanuel B., and Joseph Bornstein, former managing partners of the M. Bornstein and Sons silk mill, which until 1924 had been located at 61 Hubbard Street. The Middletown Silk Company successfully weathered the Great Depression and throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s employed around 100 employees. By late 1930s, however, significant financial troubles, including back taxes, overwhelmed the firm and it was forced to close its doors by 1938. The Middletown Silk Company’s High Street factory sat vacant until 1941. At this point it was occupied by the newly formed EIS Manufacturing Company, a producer of automobile parts and accessories. The firm was incorporated by Ernest I. Schwartz, who served as president, along with Joseph W. Gilfix, vice-president. The EIS Manufacturing Company experienced considerable success in its early years and continued profitability through the 1940s and 1950s required numerous expansions to its High Street plant. These took place ca. 1946, ca. 1952, ca. 1956, and ca. 1960. By the latter year the company’s workforce had grown to around 350 hands. Employment totals hovered around 400 throughout the 1970s, however, this number began to decline after the company’s decision to relocate its offices to its Berlin, Connecticut branch in 1980. The company maintained its Middletown manufacturing plant until 1991, whereupon all operations were consolidated in Berlin by its parent company, Standard Motor Products, Inc. The High Street factory again fell vacant following the departure of the EIS Manufacturing Company, this time until 1998. At that point it was purchased by American Metal Craft, LCC., an entity recently formed to resume operations of the former Merriam Manufacturing Company, a fabricator of metal boxes. The latter was established in Durham, Connecticut in 1851, however, a massive fire destroyed its factory in 1998. In need of a new plant, American Metal Craft, LCC. moved to Middletown, where it continues to operate.

Number of Existing Buildings

Seven (7) blocks.

Dates of Construction

1924, ca. 1946, ca. 1952, ca. 1956, ca. 1960, ca. 1965

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former EIS Manufacturing Company plant consists of a large complex of seven adjoining buildings located at the southwest corner of the intersection of High and North Main Streets. The earliest block fronts on North Main Street and was built in 1924. The building is a two-story red brick block measuring 56’ x 226’. It has a concrete foundation and cornice, red brick, parapet, concrete coping, and pitched roof. The exterior walls are divided into bays by full-height brick piers that terminate at the cornice line. The first story windows have concrete sills and lintels and retain their multi-pane steel sash with hopper style openings. The second-story windows likewise have concrete sills and lintels (the latter formed by the building’s cornice), however, the sash has been replaced with modern sliding windows. Additions to the 1924 block were completed ca. 1946, ca. 1952, ca. 1956, ca. 1960, and ca. 1965. These consist of a mix of one- and two-story red brick blocks extending south of the original building. A two-story block built at the eastern end of the original factory ca. 1946 is hidden behind a combined office and shipping building erected along High Street ca. 1956, while a one-story manufacturing building built adjacent to the west elevation of the main block ca. 1952 connects to another ca. 1956 addition. The ca. 1952 block has a frontage of approximately 240’ along Johnson Street and its western elevation is dominated by a continuous wall of full-height multi-pane steel sash with hopper style openings. The ca. 1956 block has small rectangular window openings with hopper sash and a flat roof. Returning to High Street, the factory’s ca. 1960 block is distinctive for its Modernist styling. Measuring roughly 140’ x 150’, the two-story block is of steel frame construction and has red brick walls on its first story, and full-width ribbon windows topped by light blue metal wall paneling above. The first story fenestration likewise consists of ribbon windows, these filled with multi-pane hopper style sash. A plain metal cornice frames the building’s flat roof. The final building associated with the EIS Manufacturing Company plant was erected as a warehouse ca. 1965. This measures 124’ x 230’ and is of concrete and steel frame construction. It has vertical metal siding and a low-pitch gable roof with metal sheathing.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete
• Steel

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Metal

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

Overall the complex is in fair condition. Several sections of the 1924 block show some deterioration in their exterior walls and any original windows that remain (many have been replaced) show deteriorating in their sash and glazing.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (695 High Street) totaling 3.67 acres at the southwest corner of the intersection of High and North Main Streets and extending south from North Main Street between High and Johnson Streets.

Adjacent To

• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 19/ / 0024 / Link →

Acreage

3.67

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

11/25/2014

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Atlas of Middlesex County, F.W. Beers & Co., 1874.
4. Middletown Bird’s Eye View, 1877, 1915.
5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1889, 1895, 1901, 1913, 1924, 1950.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Middletown City Directory, 1887-1960.
10. Hartford Courant, 1980, 1991, 1998.