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)
Magnus Co. Inc.
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Magnus Co. Inc.
Address or Location
50 Eddy Street, The Hill, New Haven
County
New Haven
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
n/a
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Magnus Co., Inc. 1917-1947
  • Progressive Bag Co. 1949-1984

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

50-100 (1945).

Historic Narrative

The New Haven, Connecticut branch of the Magnus Company was established in January 1900 after the firm purchased control of the Stiles Metal Company, a brass foundry. The Stiles Metal Company was organized by George E. Stiles, a resident of Willimantic, Connecticut, who began operating his business on Cedar Street in New Haven during the early 1890s. The Magnus Company initially operated as the Magnus Metal Company, and was a New Jersey-based corporation formed during the late-19th century as a result of a merger of several prominent bearing manufacturers. The company assumed the former Stiles Metal Company plant in 1900 and rapidly converted it for the production of journal bearings, these largely used in the manufacture of railroad cars and equipment. In 1907, the Magnus Metal Company was acquired by the National Lead Company, a conglomerate of white-lead manufacturers, mining operations, and industrial plants incorporated in 1891. At the time of the deal, the Magnus Metal Company maintained plants in several cities, most notable among them being those in New Haven, Connecticut; Chicago, Illinois; Buffalo, New York; St. Louis, Missouri; Topeka, Kansas; and Newark and Jersey City, New Jersey. The Magnus Metal Company’s acquisition by National Lead Company marked an attempt on the part of the latter firm to diversify its holdings, and also happened to be the same year that its Dutch Boy line of white-lead paints was placed on the market. The Magnus Metal Company operated as a division of the National Lead Company until December 1914, when the business was reorganized as the Magnus Company, Inc. The firm was backed by $3,000,000 in capital stock and was led by a prominent New York industrialist, Herbert H. Hewitt, as president. The Connecticut branch of the Magnus Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Connecticut in January 1915. Two years later, the firm vacated its Cedar Street foundry after erecting a new plant on Eddy Street. The company enlarged this facility during the early 1920s, and operated it into the late 1940s. In 1947, the Magnus Company closed the plant and it remained vacant until 1949, when it was occupied by the Progressive Bag Company, a manufacturer of bags for agricultural products such as grains and potatoes. The Progressive Bag Company was organized in New Haven in 1938. The firm initially operated on Franklin Street and was led by Edward I. Levine, president; David H. Levine, treasurer; and Bernard Levine, secretary. The company is notable for producing cloth covers for entrenching tools during the Second World War and its continued success in the post-war period likely led to the decision to move from Franklin Street to the larger Eddy Street facility in 1949. The Progressive Bag Company remained in operation until 1984, when the firm was dissolved.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Four (4) primary adjoining blocks.

Dates of Construction

1917, ca. 1920.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

Architectural Description

The former Magnus Company plant consists of four primary adjoining blocks located on the west side of Adeline Street, opposite Adeline Street’s intersection with Eddy Street and immediately east of St. Bernard Cemetery. The two oldest blocks associated with the facility were erected in 1917. The first served as the primary manufacturing block and is a one-and-a-half-story, 43’ x 140’ red brick building with brick pier walls, large rectangular window openings (these reduced in size with concrete block infill), brick window sills, a stepped brick parapet with tile coping, and a flat roof with a 4’-tall clerestory monitor. The second block housed the plant’s office and various support spaces and adjoins the west elevation of the manufacturing building. It is a one-story, 45’ x 140 red brick block with large rectangular window openings (these reduced in size with concrete block infill), brick window sills, and a shed roof. Two additions were erected adjoining the southern end of the plant ca. 1920. The first is a one-and-a-half-story, 43’ x 68’ red brick building with concrete parging, small rectangular window openings with concrete sills, and low-pitch front-facing gable roof. The second adjoins the west elevation of the aforementioned addition and is a 48’ x 68’ red brick and concrete block building with small rectangular window openings, concrete window sills, and shed roof. A single loading bay is located on the block’s south elevation near the junction of the two additions.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Sections of the exterior walls are in need of minor repairs and maintenance, as are the original windows in the clerestory monitor. Many of the window openings throughout the remainder of the plant have been reduced in size and the sash replaced, however, overall, the factory appears to be structurally sound.

Property Information

Specific Location

One legal parcel (50 Eddy Street) totaling 1.98 acres located on the west side of Adeline Street, opposite Adeline Street’s intersection with Eddy Street and immediately east of St. Bernard Cemetery.

Adjacent To

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

1.98

Use (Present)

Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/13/2015

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. Carriages & Clocks, Corsets & Locks; New Haven Preservation Trust, 2004.
  14. Hartford Courant, 1900, 1915, 1938.
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file


Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

10/13/2015