Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• H.L. Judd Co. 1875-1954
• Stanley Works- Judd Division 1954-c.1975

Use (Historic)

• Consumer Products, Small Appliances
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Metal Treating and Finishing

Largest Documented Workforce

600 (1954)

Historic Narrative

Deacon and blacksmith Morton Judd (1808-1901) of New Britain opened a small machine shop and forge with his brother Oliver S. Judd around 1830 to make harness hames. After selling a portion of the business to Henry North (later the North and Judd Mfg. Co.), the firm began to make drapery, window and picture hardware. In 1862 Morton and sons Albert, Edward and Hubert, moved operations to New Haven, reorganizing as the Judd Manufacturing Company. Around 1875, Judd Manufacturing moved to the plant’s present location in Wallingford. At about the same time, the firm opened a branch in Brooklyn where upholsterer's hardware was made. The Brooklyn branch was incorporated in 1884 as H. L. Judd and Company (with Hubert at the helm), and bought out Judd Manufacturing. In 1880, the company opened a wood turning mill to produce curtain poles in Chattanooga, Tennessee; in 1928, a factory for 'artistic wrought iron drapery hardware and art metal goods' was established in Los Angeles, California. In 1954, the Stanley Works of New Britain, Connecticut, purchased H.L. Judd and Company and absorbed its manufacturing operations and approximately 600 workers; it was renamed the Stanley-Judd Company. Stanley-Judd Company drapery products remained strong through the 1970s but operations were shut down shortly thereafter. In 1989, the factory was redeveloped as the Judd Square Condominiums.

Number of Existing Buildings

Thirteen (13) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1875 fwd

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Loft
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The complex is composed of 13 separately constructed loft buildings that range between four and five stories. The buildings all appear to be steel and concrete construction and all have flat roofs. To the south is a two-story boiler and power house with a monitor roof and detached brick smoke stack.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete

Structural System(s)

• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Monitor

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Steam

Condition

Good, Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

All portions of the building are in good condition, though windows have been modified.

Specific Location

Judd Square between South Cherry Street to west and the railroad to east, south of Quinnipiac Street

Adjacent To

• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

n/a

Acreage

n/a

Use (Present)

• Residential

Form Completed By

Mike Forino

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. 1947 Industrial Directory of Connecticut.
2. The Hartford Courant, 1922-1971.
3. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1885-1948.
4. Catalogue of Drapery Hardware No. 80, H. L. Judd Co. Inc., New York:1930.