Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• County Sand & Stone Co. mid-20th c.
• George Mertz’s Sons Co. 1904-ca. 1925
• Hasco Electric Co. mid-to-late-20th c.

Use (Historic)

• Electrical Equipment
• Paper & Wood Products

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

The George Mertz’s Sons Company was originally organized as the Mertz and Boerner Company in the East Port Chester section of Greenwich, Connecticut in 1872. The firm manufactured building materials such as cabinetry and house trim and was established by George Mertz and Emil C. Boerner. By the early 1900s, Boerner had left the business and it had been reorganized as the George Mertz’s Sons Company after three of Mertz’s sons, Louis C., George E., and Frank C. Mertz, assumed control of the business. In 1902, the firm’s offices were located at 9 Willett Avenue in Port Chester, New York, and all associated members of the Mertz family lived in Port Chester. In 1904, the George Mertz’s Sons Company erected a new planing mill on South Water Street in Greenwich. The firm preserved its offices and a lumber yard in Port Chester, however, all milling operations appear to have been moved into this spacious and modern plant following its completion. By this point in time, the George Mertz’s Sons Company had expanded and in addition to millwork, also offered full contracting and building services. An advertisement for the firm from 1911 noted, ‘Our specialty is the erection of fine country residences. We will also undertake contracts for the interior cabinet work for any class of building. We also specialize in Stucco Houses.’ The listing identified over a dozen notable homes for ‘prominent gentlemen’ in Connecticut, New York, and Long Island completed by the company. The George Mertz’s Sons Company remained in operation until around 1925. The eldest son, Louis, died in 1923 and the firm appears to have been dissolved shortly thereafter. By the late-1920s the other two brothers had gone on to establish two new firms, the Mertz Company, a building and contracting business led by George E. Mertz; and Frank C. Mertz and Son, a masons’ and builders’ supply business. Neither firm appears to have retained the South Water Street property, which eventually passed to the County Sand and Stone Corporation during the middle of the 20th century, and the Hasco Electric Company during the late 20th century.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly three (3) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1904, ca. 1960, ca. 1970.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former George Mertz’s Sons Company planning mill consists of roughly three adjoining primary blocks located on the west side of South Water Street, just south of South Water Street’s intersection with Division Street West. The oldest portion of the plant fronts on South Water Street and was erected in 1904. The mill is a two-story, 62’ x 170’ rusticated cast stone block building with cast stone piers and corbels, rectangular window openings with cast stone sills, stepped parapets with cast stone coping along the north and south (side) elevations, and a flat roof with a nearly full-length monitor that faces east. A rectangular cast stone tower that originally housed a 20,000-gallon water tank rises from the southern end of the building’s west elevation. A white marble plaque that reads, ‘ERECTED/A.D. 1904.’ Is located at the base of the first pier at the northern end of the building’s east elevation. Two one-story concrete block additions were erected adjoining the original mill’s west elevation during the middle of the 20th century. The first was built ca. 1960 and is a 118’ x 134’ block with a flat roof wraps around the north and west sides of the main building. The second addition is a 127’ x 65’ block that adjoins the west side of the main block and the south elevation of the ca. 1960 building. Both of the additions have rectangular door and window openings, the former with concrete sills and multipane metal windows.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat
• Monitor

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The plant is in fair condition. All of the original windows have been removed and the openings boarded up, however, overall, the various blocks appear structurally sound.

Specific Location

The mill is located on the west side of South Water Street Street, just south of South Water Street’s intersection with Division Street West.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Transport)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

n/a

Acreage

n/a

Use (Present)

• Other: August 2023: proposed redevelopment as 10 residential units by Sean Wallace and 84 S. Water LLC.
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

04/19/2016

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. Sanborn Map Company, 1906, 1912, 1920, 1950.
6. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
7. Port Chester City Directories, Various editions.
8. New York Times, 1923.