Mill Record Beacon Falls

RETURN TO ‘FIND MILLS’

Disclaimer: Content for these properties was compiled in 2014-2017 from a variety of sources and is subject to change. Updates are occasionally made under Property Information, however the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation (dba Preservation Connecticut) makes no representation or warranty that the information is complete or up-to-date.

Complex Name (Common)
Homer D. Bronson Co.
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Homer D. Bronson Co.
Address or Location
141 South Main Street, Beacon Falls
County
New Haven
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Homer D. Bronson Co. 1882-ca. 1980

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

300 (1975).

Historic Narrative

The Homer D. Bronson Company was originally established as the firm of John T. Bronson and Company in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1839. The business manufactured brass goods and its specialties ranged from buttons to butt hinges. John T. Bronson managed the firm through the 1870s, whereupon his three sons, Homer D., George S., and Luther C. Bronson, were brought into the business. It appears that the eldest, Homer, acquired the largest share of the company upon its reorganization, as it was renamed Homer D. Bronson and Company in 1881. In 1883, a deal was negotiated between the Bronson family and a struggling tannery business managed by brothers John and Julius Coe in Beacon Falls, Connecticut. The two firms decided to swap their manufacturing plants with the result being that Homer D. Bronson and Company acquired a wood-frame plant located along Lebanon Brook (presently known as Hockanum Brook) in Beacon Falls. The brass firm made a number of alterations to its new plant and production was soon expanded to include bronze piano panels and continuous hinges. The business was incorporated in 1884, after which the name of the firm was changed to that of the Homer D. Bronson Company. Work at the Beacon Falls plant remained steady until February 1899, whereupon the entirety of the factory was razed to the ground by fire. Work on a new brick factory for the Homer D. Bronson Company was initiated as soon as the old site had been cleared of debris. The new plant was enlarged several times by 1910, whereupon the firm passed out of the hands of the Bronson family. The new owners were all Waterbury men and included Joseph H. Woodward, a former secretary of the Waterbury Brass Corporation, as well as Carlisle B. Tuttle and John B. Burrall. The company’s capital stock was increased from $30,000 to $100,000 and further additions to the Beacon Falls plant were soon initiated. Employment at the Homer D. Bronson Company numbered upwards of 100 hands through the 1930s, and by the 1950s the firm was counted among the largest manufacturers of continuous, butt, and automobile hood and door hinges in the country. Employment peaked around 300 during the early 1970s, however, this had dropped significantly by the time the company made the decision to move from Beacon Falls to Winsted, Connecticut in 1979. The plant has since been occupied by a variety of small industrial and commercial tenants.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly twelve (12) blocks.

Dates of Construction

1899, ca. 1905, ca. 1910, ca. 1940, 1955, ca. 1970, ca. 1980.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

Architectural Description

The former Homer D. Bronson Company plant is comprised of roughly twelve primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located on the east side of South Main Street, at the southeast corner South Main Street’s intersection with Bethany Road. The oldest block appears to be a two-story, 96’ x 25’ red brick block situated at the core of the plant. This was built in 1899 and over time has been surrounded by later additions. The details of the original block are largely hidden from view, however, it appears to have segmental-arched window openings and a side-gabled roof. A two-story, 94’ x 32’ red brick addition was erected roughly 30’ west of the original block ca. 1905. This has a fieldstone foundation, segmental-arched window openings on its first floor, rectangular window openings on its second story, stone sills and double-hung windows throughout, a corbelled brick cornice, and a side-gabled roof. Additions to this block were completed on its north and south elevations ca. 1910. The northern addition is a two-story, 106’ x 32’ red brick block, while the southern block is a two-story L-shaped building measuring 60’ x 32’ and with a 32’ x 56’ ell adjoining the southern end of its east elevation. The ell adjoins the south elevation of the original block, while a catwalk linking the 1899 and ca. 1905 building provides additional access between various areas of the factory. Four further additions to the former Homer D. Bronson Company plant were completed during the first half of the 20th century. These include a one-story, 140’ x 36’ red brick block erected east of the 1899 factory ca. 1920; a two-story, 78’ x 38’ red brick block erected north of the 1899 factory ca. 1940; a one-story, 48’ x 104’ red brick block erected southeast of the 1899 factory ca. 1940; and a two-story, 56’ x 52’ red brick office building erected at the northwest corner of the plant as a one-story block ca. 1940 and raised to two stories in 1955. The aforementioned manufacturing additions all have concrete foundations, rectangular window openings with concrete sills, and flat roofs. The blocks to the north and east of the original mill both have clerestory monitors with low-pitch gable roofs. The office building has a concrete and molded brick foundation, symmetrical five-bay façade with central entry, rectangular window openings with concrete sills and brick lintels, a brick cornice with large brick corbels, and a flat roof. The office is connected to the factory by a narrow two-story red brick ell. Three large additions were erected on the southern side of the plant during the second half of the 20th century. These include a one-story, 57’ x 344’ red brick block with rectangular window openings, concrete window sills, and a flat roof that was built ca. 1960; a two-story, 60’ x 125’ steel-frame block with concrete panel-clad walls and a flat roof that was erected ca. 1980; and a two-story, 75’ x 208’ red brick block with a concrete foundation, rectangular window openings, brick window sills, and a flat roof that was built ca. 1990. The two final primary buildings located on the parcel consist of a pair of one-story metal-frame storage structures erected southeast of the factory during the early 2000s.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The original windows in the majority of the plant have been retained and the entirety of the complex appears to be well maintained and structurally sound.

Property Information

Specific Location

One legal parcel (141 South Main Street) totaling 8.02 acres located on the east side of South Main Street, at the southeast corner South Main Street’s intersection with Bethany Road.

Adjacent To

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

  • 010-002-0015 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

8.02

Use (Present)

Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

11/05/2015

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, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
  8. Waterbury Directory; Various editions.
  9. Beacon Falls; Heiss, Mark, 2012.
  10. Hartford Courant, 1975, 1979.
  11. Naugatuck Daily News, 1959.
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file



Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

11/05/2015