Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Allied Control Inc. c.1940s-1989
• American Standard Co. c.1940s-c.1980s
• H.D. Smith and Co. 1892-c.1930s

Use (Historic)

• Clocks, Precision Equipment
• Electrical Equipment
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

125 (1890s)

Historic Narrative

The H.D. Smith Company was organized by Edward Twichell Sr. and Henry D. Smith as a forge shop for the production of carriage components c.1850. The first operation was located in Meriden but the firm shortly thereafter moved to rented space in the Plantsville section of Southington. In 1891 the concern was organized as a capital stock company, and a year later erected the first company-owned buildings at the current site. By the start of the twentieth century, with carriage production declining, the H.D. Smith Company expanded into the production of bicycle components, hand tools and machine tools. Business nonetheless declined until the company filed for bankruptcy in 1928. After new ownership and several efforts to pull the company out of receivership, the H.D. Smith Company finally closed its doors in the early 1930s. By the 1940s, the former complex had been sold to two separated companies. The northern building was occupied by the American Standard Company, a small garden tool manufacturer. The remaining buildings to the south were occupied by the Allied Control Inc., an electrical control device manufacturer. In 1989, Allied moved its operations from Plantsville to Waterbury, Connecticut. The American Standard Company remained in business until at least the 1980s.

Number of Existing Buildings

three

Dates of Construction

1882, c.1910

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill

Architectural Description

In 1882 the existing building was erected. It was the north wing of a U-shaped complex, the rest of which is gone. The brick structure has two parts: a 2-story, 52' x 50' office block and a 1-story, 151' x 41' factory which is attached to the west end of the office. Windows in both sections are in segmentally arched openings with stone sills. The brick-pier factory has a low-pitched gable roof and a stair tower on its south side. The office has a hip roof topped with a cupola and a porch across the east facade. In 1910 two new factories replaced parts of the 1882 complex; both are 1-story brick-pier structures, 215' x 42' and 178' x 42'. (Roth) For description see National Register application: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/77001420.pdf

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Gable
• Hip Minor

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam
• Water (Turbine)

Condition

Good, Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

Two legal parcels totaling 3.04 acres at the southwest end of West Street, on the east side of the Eight Mile River, north of Marion Ave and West Main Street.

In 1988 NR nomination form for the HISTORIC INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES OF SOUTHINGTON THEMATIC RESOURCE, and individually listed on the NR in September 1977: http://focus.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/77001420.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)
• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 74/6 / Link →
• 74/7 / Link →

Acreage

1.61

Use (Present)

• Mixed-Use
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Michael Forino

Date

August 2014

Bibliography

1. 1947 Industrial Directory of Connecticut.
2. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).