Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• New England Knitting Co. 1887-1955

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories
• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

130 (1926).

Historic Narrative

NOTE: DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR NR LISTING AS PART OF SMALL INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT (w/ 10 Bridge St, 9 Willow St, 35 Willow St and possibly 119 Willow St) IN 2023 BY SHPO. The New England Knitting Company was organized in the Winsted section of Winchester, Connecticut in 1887. The firm was established by Leverett W. Tiffany, who served as the mill’s first general manager alongside Henry Gay, president, and E.B. Gaylord, secretary and treasurer. The company specialized in the manufacture of wool and wool blend underwear and began production in space rented from the New England Pin Company along Bridge Street. By the early 1900s, the New England Knitting Company had built significant two-, three-, and four-story brick mill buildings to the west of the New England Pin Company plant on both the north and south sides of the Mad River, as well as spanning the river itself. All but two of these blocks were demolished after sustaining significant damage during the 1955 Flood. During the First World War, the New England Knitting Company dedicated upwards of 80 percent of its production capacity to the war effort manufacturing wool underwear for the United States Army. The firm weathered the Great Depression and even expanded its catalog to include men’s sweaters in 1930. After the New England Pin Company left Winsted in 1926, the New England Knitting company slowly occupied all of the neighboring plant, which it completed by 1930. Non-wartime employment at the company peaked in the period just before the Second World War when over 225 hands were employed, making it one of Winsted’s largest employers. Despite a small bump in business as a result of the increasing popularity of skiing and its venture into the manufacture of knitted outerwear during the early 1950s, the New England Knitting Company fell on hard times by the mid-1950s. The firm ceased production in October 1954 due to excess inventory, and the damage inflicted by the 1955 Flood dealt a death blow to the business as the potential cost of repairs far exceeded the company’s profitability. The company was liquidated late in 1955 and its plant subsequently passed to a series of real estate developers who rented the space to small industrial firms or other assorted occupants. Note: 3/2023 SHPO determined complex to be eligible for listing as part of a small historic industrial district (10 Bridge St incl'g rear; 9 Willow, 35 Willow and possible 119 Willow).

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1900.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Powerhouse
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former New England Knitting Company mill consists of two adjoining primary blocks located roughly 300’ west of Bridge Street, at the northwest corner of Bridge Street’s intersection with Prospect Street and along the south bank of the Mad River. Both of the blocks were erected ca. 1900 and are of red brick construction. The more prominent of the two buildings is a three-story, 42’ x 98’ block that housed a variety of operations including drying, storage, washing, picking, and an engine room. The building has a rough-cut stone foundation, large segmental-arched window openings with stone sills and brick lintels, twelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash (those that remain), a corbelled brick cornice, tile coping, and a flat roof. The second block adjoins the aforementioned building’s west elevation and is a two-story, 35’ x 42’ structure with a rough-cut stone foundation, segmental-arched window openings with stone sills and brick lintels, a corbelled brick cornice, and a flat roof. It served as the plant’s dye house.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The plant is in fair to deteriorated condition. Most of the windows have been removed, however, the buildings appear structurally sound.

Specific Location

One 0.52-acre parcel (west of 10 Bridge St. and the former New England Pin Complex) located roughly 300’ west of Bridge Street, at the northwest corner of Bridge Street’s intersection with Prospect Street and along the south bank of the Mad River.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)
• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 110/054/003B / Link →

Acreage

0.52

Use (Present)

• Other: Mad River Lofts work and studio space as of 2017. 3/2023 SHPO determined complex to be eligible for listing as part of a small historic industrial district (10 Bridge St incl'g rear; 9 Willow, 35 Willow and possible 119 Willow).

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

04/28/2016

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. Sanborn Map Company, 1887, 1892, 1897, 1904, 1909, 1919, 1931, 1947.
6. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
7. Fairfield City Directories, Various editions.
8. Hartford Courant, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1952, 1955.
9. Winsted: The Development of an Ideal Town; Hulburt, Robert S., 1906.
10. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).