Mill Record New Haven

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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)
M. & T. Sault Co.
Complex Name (Historic)
  • M. & T. Sault Co.
Address or Location
419 Chapel Street, New Haven
County
New Haven
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
n/a
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • F.C. & A.E. Rowland Co. 1877-ca. 1896
  • M. & T. Sault Co. 1864-1871
  • Miner & Peck Co. 1896-1920
  • Yale Ironworks Co. 1871-1877

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

The M. and T. Sault Company was originally organized in New Haven, Connecticut during the 1850s as the M. Sault Company. The firm was led by Matthew Sault, who maintained a machine shop on East Water Street that specialized in the manufacture of lathes used for metal-working. In 1863, Sault partnered with his brother, Thomas Sault, to form the M. and T. Sault Company, which continued to manufacture lathes yet also branched out into the production of steam engines, shafting, marine engines, boilers, water tanks, rolling and rubber milling machinery, castings, gearing, and a variety of other cast and machined metal items. The firm erected a new office and foundry building at the corner of Chapel and Wallace Streets in 1864 and soon had a small staff at their disposal. The M. and T. Sault Company continued to operate until 1871, whereupon Thomas left the business and Matthew brought on two partners, William B. Pardee and Charles Gladwin. This was likely done in an effort to raise additional capital and the firm was subsequently reorganized as the Yale Iron Works. The restructured business continued to manufacture many of the products that had previously driven the company, however, a variety of new lines also began to be developed. Notable among the latter were iron architectural castings, ranging from iron girders to trimwork, and a water fountain identified as Wilson’s Patent Drinking Fountain. The Yale Iron Works remained solvent until ca. 1878. By 1880, the business had been replaced by the F.C. and A.E. Rowland Company, which manufactured many of the same products turned out by the Yale Iron Works. In fact, Matthew Sault was kept on as the shop’s foreman following the transition suggesting that the Yale Iron Works had simply been bought out by brothers Amory E. and Frederick C. Rowland. By 1896, F.C. and A.E. Rowland had consolidated work in a plant across the street on the east side of Wallace Street and its former plant had passed to the Miner and Peck Manufacturing Company, which produced drop presses, drop lifters, friction drop hammers, and blast forges. Miner and Peck was originally organized during the 1850s under the name of its founder, Milo Peck, and subsequently carried the names of Milo Peck and Company, Beecher and Peck, and then the Miner and Peck Manufacturing Company. The latter firm maintained a shop on River Street until 1896, when the firm’s plant and machine tool business were acquired by the Kilborn and Bishop Company. Miner and Peck retained its drop forge business, which was then moved to Chapel Street, where it operated until 1920. In 1920, Miner and Peck was sold to the Birmingham Iron Foundry Company and the majority of its operations were moved to Derby, Connecticut. The Chapel Street factory remained occupied, however, by a spin-off of Miner and Peck, the Peck Manufacturing Company, which was organized by John L. Peck and Chester J. Fitch in December 1920. This business remained in operation for just two years, and by 1923 the plant had been occupied by the first of what would be a string of short-lived tenants. During the mid-1920s this consisted of a mill supply retailer, Machinery Dealers, Inc., while the factory was in use by a furniture upholsterer for a portion of the late-20th century. At present, the plant is used for furniture storage.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) adjoining blocks.

Dates of Construction

1864, ca. 1920.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

Architectural Description

The former M. and T. Sault Company plant is comprised of two adjoining blocks located on the north side of Chapel Street, at the northwest corner of Chapel Street’s intersection with Wallace Street. The factory’s main block is also the older of the two structures, having been erected in 1864. The building is a 58’ x 102’ red brick block that largely stands one-and-a-half-stories tall, yet has a two-story, 18’ x 28’ tower at its southeast corner that formerly housed the plant’s offices. The building has a brownstone block foundation, rectangular window openings with brownstone sills and lintels and a mix of four-over-four and sixteen-over-sixteen double-hung sash, a denticulated and corbelled brick cornice, and a front-facing gable roof. A hipped roof tops the office, while a clerestory monitor extends the full length of the foundry block. The plant’s main entrance consists of a pass-through door on the south (façade) elevation. A loading door immediately to the west provides access to the foundry and a round-arched window in the gable-end provides additional light into the space. A one-and-a-half-story, 58’ x 42’ concrete block and red brick addition was erected adjoining the north elevation of the foundry ca. 1920. This replaced an earlier wood-frame structure and is of concrete block construction with a concrete foundation, brick veneer exterior walls, rectangular window openings with concrete sills and lintels, and a shed roof. All of the window openings have been bricked up, however, a loading door on the block’s east elevation remains operational, albeit reduced in size.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Many of the original windows have been removed or are damaged, however, the plant appears to be structurally sound.

Property Information

Specific Location

One legal parcel (419 Chapel Street) totaling 0.20 acres located on the north side of Chapel Street, at the northwest corner of Chapel Street’s intersection with Wallace Street.

Adjacent To

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

0.20

Use (Present)

Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/08/2015

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, 1901, 1911, 1923, 1950.
  9. New Haven City Directory; Various editions.
  10. History of the City of New Haven to the Present Time, 1887.
  11. Leading Business Men of New Haven County; Mercantile Publishing Co., 1887.
  12. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, 1920.
  13. Hartford Courant, 1896.
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file


Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

10/08/2015