Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Connecticut Co. 1907-ca. 1948
• Fair Haven and Westville Railroad ca. 1888-1907

Use (Historic)

• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

Streetcar operations in New Haven effectively began in 1860 with the organization of the Fair Haven and Westville Railroad. Service under this company began with horse-drawn cars on May 6, 1861, and its network was electrified by the 1890s. In order to accomplish the latter, the company built several proprietary power stations to provide electricity for its trolleys and its River Street plant, ‘Power Station B,’ was placed in service around 1888. In addition to five coal-fired dynamos that were operated day and night, the facility also housed office space and a workshop for repairing and painting streetcars. While the Fair Haven and Westville Railroad initially served sections of the eastern part of New Haven, numerous additional street railway companies were soon formed to meet the needs of customers throughout the remainder of the city. Included among them at various periods of time were the New Haven and West Haven Horse Railroad, the Winchester Avenue Railroad, the West Shore Railway Company, the New Haven and Centreville Horse Railway, the Whitney Avenue Horse Railroad, the State Street Horse Railroad, and the New Haven Street Railway. Over the course of the second half of the 19th century, the Fair Haven and Westville Railroad moved aggressively to absorb the numerous other streetcar lines operating in New Haven during the late-19th century. The firm acquired financial control of the last independent competitor operating in the city, the Winchester Avenue Railroad, in 1901, and on May 20, 1904, the latter entity was merged with the parent company. The Fair Haven and Westville Railroad was acquired by the Consolidated Street Railway Company, a subsidiary of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, just three days later. In 1907, executives at the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad organized a new entity, the Connecticut Company, for the purpose of consolidating the railroad’s extensive network of streetcar lines and the various companies that operated them. The Consolidated Street Railway Company was included in this merger, thus giving the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad effective control of all trolley services in New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford, New London, Stamford, and Waterbury. The only Connecticut cities outside of the Connecticut Company’s network were those in Bristol and Danbury. This system of streetcars continued to operate into the 1920s, however, during the 1920s and 1930s many lines were discontinued and replaced with bus service. The last streetcars to operate in Connecticut ceased operation in New Haven in September 1948. The Connecticut Company maintained an extensive network of support services for its trolley lines, including car barns, repair facilities, and power stations. These were scattered throughout the city and were upgraded or replaced as needs arose. The Fair Haven and Westville Railroad’s River Street facility was maintained as a machine shop and warehouse by the Connecticut Company until streetcar service was ended in 1948. By the 1950s, the building was used as a mattress warehouse, and it has been used for a mix of storage and office applications since that time.

Number of Existing Buildings

Four (4) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1888, ca. 1910, ca. 1950, ca. 1960.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Powerhouse
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The Fair Haven and Westville Railroad’s former River Street streetcar repair facility and power station is comprised of four primary adjoining blocks located on the south side of River Street, at the southwest corner of River Street’s intersection with Ferry Street. The main and original block was erected ca. 1888 and is a two-story brick structure measuring roughly 85’ x 250’ overall. This served as office space, a streetcar repair and painting shop, and a power station. It has a brownstone block foundation, segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, round masonry anchors, and a front-facing gable roof with a small clerestory monitor at the southern end of the building. The windows on the façade (north elevation) have been reduced in size through the addition of red brick infill, while large rectangular window openings with brick sills and multi-pane metal sash have been created on the east (side) elevation through partial reconstruction of the northern half of that elevation when several trolley bays were walled up at some point during the early 20th century. A series of recessed bays terminating in a corbelled cornice span the gable end of the façade. A one-and-a-half-story, 48’ x 104’ red brick block was erected adjoining the northern end of the original block’s west elevation ca. 1910. This originally housed a machine shop and the details of the façade (north elevation) match those of the main building. The west elevation was reconstructed with concrete block faced with red brick at some point during the early 20th century and it currently has an assortment of rectangular door and window openings with red brick or concrete sills. The block’s shed roof has two sawtooth monitors. A one-and-a-half-story, 52’ x 108’ red brick block adjoins the main block’s west elevation south of the ca. 1910 addition. This was erected ca. 1950 and has small rectangular window openings with concrete sills, two loading bays, and a shed roof. The final block associated with the facility was erected ca. 1960. It is a one-story, 32’ x 88’ red brick building with a concrete foundation, small rectangular window openings, and a flat roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Clerestory Monitor
• Flat
• Gable
• Monitor
• Sawtooth
• Shed

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The exterior walls are in need of cleaning and most of the original windows throughout the complex have been replaced or infilled.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (36 River Street) totaling 1.62 acres located on the south side of River Street, at the southwest corner of River Street’s intersection with Ferry Street.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 165/0700/00200. / Link →

Acreage

1.62

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Other: After 10/2024 fire, demolition ordered by city building inspector. New Haven Preservation Trust subsequently requested review for alternative.

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

08/13/2015

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. History of the City of New Haven to the Present Time, 1887.
11. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, 1920.
12. New Haven Streetcars; Branford Electric Railway Assoc., 2003.
13. Western Connecticut Trolleys; Connecticut Motor Coach Museum, 2007.