Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Gar Kenyon 2003-Present (2015)
• Lewis Engineering Co. ca. 1950-ca. 2003

Use (Historic)

• Clocks, Precision Equipment
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

230 (1985, both plants).

Historic Narrative

The origins of the Lewis Engineering Company date to 1925 when Harris Whittemore Jr. of Naugatuck, Connecticut organized the Naugatuck Engineering and Machining Company. The firm shared factory space with the Dunham Mills Company on Rubber Street in Naugatuck and produced a variety of general machine tools and machined items. By the late-1920s, Whittemore’s firm had shifted towards manufacturing specialty parts for the fledgling aircraft industry, and in 1930, the name of the business was changed to the Lewis Engineering Company in an effort to distance it from its machine tool origins. The officers of the newly organized company consisted of Whittemore as president; Clarence S. Austin, secretary and treasurer; and Milton N. Frode, assistant secretary and assistant treasurer. Following its inception, engineers at the Lewis Engineering Company began developing a range of temperature measuring equipment for use in aircraft. These included devices such as resistance thermometers, resistance transducers, thermocouple thermometers, portable potentiometers, selector switches, and pyrometer-potentiometers, the latter being a method of displaying temperatures electronically. In 1942, shortly following the United States’ official entry into World War II, Clarence Austin was promoted to the role of president of the company and he oversaw both the firm’s transition to nearly total war production during the conflict, and back into a peacetime production. Among the Lewis Engineering Company’s most significant actions during the war was the decision to establish a division for the development and manufacture of a line of specialty wire and cable for use in military and aerospace applications. This would eventually be spun off as the Specialty Cable Corporation, which continues to operate in Wallingford, Connecticut. Following the conclusion of World War II the Lewis Engineering Company began development of a fully air conditioned plant suitable for the manufacture of its highly sensitive products. This involved the acquisition and expansion of a former stable on Water Street in Naugatuck that had been occupied by a nursery since the 1920s. All operations were moved into the new building around 1950 and they remained on Water Street until the mid-1960s. In 1967, two significant developments impacted the Lewis Engineering Company. The first was the completion of a new state-of the-art office and engineering building at 550 Spring Street in Naugatuck. The second was the acquisition of Ackerman Engravers, Inc. of Long Island, New York, a firm that specialized in the manufacture of lighted instrument panels and dials. In combination, these two developments gave the Lewis Engineering Company both the expertise and space in which to expand and solidify its position in the aerospace instrumentation industry. This firm footing carried the firm into the 1980s, and in 1985 it was purchased by Colt Industries. Operations at the Water Street plant continued following the Colt acquisition, however, by 2003, the factory had been vacated and was purchased by Gar Kenyon, a manufacturer of hydro-mechanical, electromechanical, and mechanical components and assemblies for the aerospace industry with roots dating back to 1950. Gar Kenyon continues to occupy the Water Street factory.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly five (5) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1905, ca. 1950, ca. 1965, ca. 1980.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Lewis Engineering Company plant is comprised of five primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located on the west side Water Street, roughly 700’ southeast of Water Street’s intersection with Church Streets. At the core of the factory is a two-story C-shaped building originally erected as a stable ca. 1905. This faces away from Water Street and has a brick first story and frame above. The central block and side wings all have gable roofs and octagonal cupolas with bell-curved copper roofs centered along their ridgelines. The stable was utilized by a local nursery during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, before being acquired by the Lewis Engineering Company. Two-story red brick additions were erected adjoining the east, north, and west elevations of the building ca. 1950. This resulted in a single block measuring roughly 148’ x 110’. The additions have concrete foundations, red brick walls, rectangular window openings with concrete sills and metal-pane sash with pivot-style openings, tile coping, and flat roofs. A one-story, 42’ x 105’ concrete block addition was erected adjoining the plant’s south elevation around 1965. This housed space for shipping and receiving and has rectangular window openings with concrete sills and multipane metal windows, tile coping, and a flat roof. A single loading bay with roll-up style door is located on its east (façade) elevation. A similar addition was erected adjoining the plant’s north elevation around 1980. This stands two stories tall and measures 30’ x 100’. A freestanding, one-story, 23’ x 23’ wood-frame building stands roughly 25’ north of the plant. This was erected ca. 1905 and has a fieldstone foundation, vinyl siding, and a hipped roof. The final block associated with the plant was built adjoining the factory’s south elevation ca. 1980. This is of concrete block construction and measures 22’ x 66’. The building has a shed roof and a loading dock at its eastern end has been enclosed with metal framing and corrugated metal siding.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete Block
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Shed

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Although sections of the exterior walls are in need of cleaning, the mill appears to be structurally sound. Many of the windows in the plant’s original block have been infilled with brick.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (238 Water Street) totaling 1.42 acres located on the west side Water Street, roughly 700’southeast of Water Street’s intersection with Church Street.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 1-3W10 / Link →

Acreage

1.42

Use (Present)

• Industrial
• Other: for sale 2/2019; fire 9/2023

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, 1965.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1887, 1892, 1897, 1904, 1910, 1923, 1960.
9. Waterbury Directory; Various editions.
10. History of Naugatuck, Connecticut, 1948.
11. History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut, 1918.
12. Hartford Courant, 1967, 1985, 2015.
13. Naugatuck Daily News, 1967.