Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Connecticut Light & Power Co. ca. 1920-Present (2015)
• Connecticut Railway and Lighting Co. ca. 1910-ca. 1920
• Naugatuck Electric Light Co. 1887-ca. 1905
• Waterbury Traction Co. ca. 1905-ca. 1910

Use (Historic)

• Transportation
• Other: Power generation

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

The Naugatuck Electric Light Company was organized in Naugatuck, Connecticut early in 1887 and was formally chartered on April 16, 1887. The utility's first board of directors included a number of local residents and businessmen, among them L.D. Warner, A.H. Dayton, O.M. Young, B.B. Tuttle, E.H. Warrington, and F.W. Tolles. A generation station was erected on Water Street and the first electric lamp in town was lit on June 1, 1887. The Water Street electric generation station remained occupied by the Naugatuck Electric Light Company through the 1890s, however, around 1900 the utility was sold to the Waterbury Traction Company, a local streetcar line. This was in turn acquired by the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company around 1901. The Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company was originally organized in 1901 in order to serve as a holding company for the streetcar operations owned by the Connecticut Lighting and Power Company, a branch of the United Gas Improvement Company of New York, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which had also acquired such businesses as Central Railway and Electric Company, Norwalk Street Railway, Derby Street Railway, and the Central Railway and Electric Company of New Britain. The firm eventually ventured into electrical generation and utility acquisitions, as was common among many streetcar operations, however, the Naugatuck generation station was eventually divested and sold to the Connecticut Light and Power Company during the early 1920s. The Connecticut Light and Power Company initially used the building for storage but later converted it for use as a substation. The property continues to be held by the Connecticut Light and Power Company yet is presently unused and vacant.

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1887.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The former Naugatuck Electric Light Company’s Water Street generation station plant is comprised of two primary adjoining blocks located on the west side Water Street, roughly 375’ north of Water Street’s intersection with Cedar Street. Both blocks were erected in 1887 and stand one story in height. The main block measures roughly 56’ x 42’ and has a stone foundation, red brick walls, segmental-arched window openings with stone sills and double-hung wood windows, a corbelled brick cornice with cornice returns, and a front-facing gable roof. The building’s primary entry consists of a large rectangular opening with a stone threshold and sill, and paired metal doors. The secondary block adjoins the northern end of the main block’s west (rear) elevation. This measures roughly 32’ x 22’ and has two garage door openings with roll-up style doors on its south (side) elevation. A stepped red brick firewall extends across the north (side) elevations of both blocks.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Although sections of the exterior walls are in need of repointing, the mill appears to be structurally sound and well maintained.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (226 Water Street) totaling 0.32 acres located on the west side Water Street, roughly 375’ north of Water Street’s intersection with Cedar Street.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 013/2000. / Link →

Acreage

0.32

Use (Present)

• Vacant

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.