Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Henry Weyand Co. 1922-1946
• Sheet Metal Mfg. Co. Inc. 1948-mid-to-late 20th c.

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown

Historic Narrative

The Henry Weyand Company was incorporated in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1904. The firm was founded and led by Henry Weyand, a German immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1886 at the age of 21. By the mid-1890s, Weyand had partnered with William T. Disley to form Disley & Weyand, a shop that manufactured galvanized iron and copper products, such as skylights and cornices, as well as plumbing and heating apparatus and gas and steam fittings. By the turn of the century, Weyand had gained full control of the firm, which was located at 16 Jefferson Street in Waterbury, and on May 11, 1904, the business was incorporated with $10,000 in capital. Henry Weyand expanded his company during the early 1920s and a second shop was built at 45 Brown Place in Waterbury in 1922. By that point the firm’s product line had been diversified to include sheet metal ventilators, corrugated iron gutters and conductors, and fireproof sheet metal windows and doors. The company consolidated operations on Brown Place by the early 1930s and Henry Weyand led the business until his death in 1932. Following his passing, leadership of the firm was assumed by his sons, Carl L. and Leonard H. Weyand (his third son Harold W. was employed by another sheet metal manufacturer, the American Sheet Metal Works, Inc.), who maintained the business until 1946. By 1948, the Brown Place shop had been acquired by the Sheet Metal Manufacturing Company, another sheet metal fabrication company that had been established in Brooklyn, New York, in 1916. By the time of the company’s move to Waterbury the firm was led by Joseph A. Peterman, a resident of Long Island, New York, along with Edwin C. Peterman, a resident of Higganum, Connecticut. The Sheet Metal Manufacturing Company continued to operate in Waterbury through the mid-to-late 20th c. The facility is presently used as warehouse space.

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1922, ca. 1930.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Henry Weyand Company shop consists of two adjoining red brick blocks located on the south side of Brown Place, at the southeast corner of Brown Place’s intersection with Judd Street. The facility’s main block was built in two phases, these taking place in 1922 and ca. 1930. The western half of the three-story block was erected first, while the eastern half soon followed. A one-story addition adjoining the east side of the ca. 1930 construction was built shortly thereafter. The main block is a three-story, 150’ x 105’ red brick building with a concrete foundation, segmental-arched window and door openings, stone sills, a mix of double-hung and pivot-style sash (both original and replacement), a corbelled brick cornice, brick parapet, tile coping, and a flat roof. The one-story addition measures roughly 14’ x 105’ and fronts on Brown Place.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• EPDM
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The plant is in fair condition. Most of the original windows have been replaced with one-over-one double-hung aluminum sash, however, a number of the original multi-pane double-hung wood or pivot-style metal sash remain.

Specific Location

One 0.36-acre parcel (45 Brown Place) located on the south side of Brown Place, at the southeast corner of Brown Place’s intersection with Judd Street.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 0273-0019-0019 / Link →

Acreage

0.36

Use (Present)

• Commercial

Form Completed By

Lucas Karmazinas

Date

11/17/2016

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, 1884, 1900, 1924, 1962.
6. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
7. Waterbury City Directories, Price & Lee Co., 1890-1960.
8. History of Waterbury; Pape, William Jamieson, 1918.