Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Armstrong Rubber Co. ca. 1950
• New Haven Silk Mills 1920-1928
• New Haven Terminal Co. ca. 1928-Present (2015)
• Silex Co. 1946-ca. 1950

Use (Historic)

• Consumer Products, Small Appliances
• Rubber & Chemicals
• Textiles
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

The New Haven Silk Mills Company was organized in New Haven, Connecticut, by Charles A. Wimpfheimer in 1920. Wimpfheimer was a New York-based investor with numerous ties to the textile industry, perhaps the most notable being the American Velvet Company in Stonington, Connecticut. Wimpfheimer’s New Haven venture was organized for the purpose of silk throwing (the process of doubling, twisting, and spooling silk thread in preparation of its use in textile weaving) and broad silk production. A substantial four-story brick, steel, and reinforced concrete factory was erected along what would eventually become Waterfront Street in 1920-1921 at a cost of $270,000. The Waterfront Street plant of the New Haven Silk Mills Company was occupied early in 1921 and W.J. Morgan was appointed superintendent. Regardless of the prominent resume held by its founder and the significant plant erected to house its operations, however, the New Haven Silk Mills Company operated just six years before the factory was closed. The factory would subsequently pass through the hands of a variety of firms over the course of the ensuing decades. The property was acquired by the New Haven Terminal Company during the late 1920s or early 1930s, and served as a branch plant used to produce coffee makers for the Silex Company from 1946 until around 1950. The factory next passed to the Armstrong Rubber Company, which had significant local operations, particularly in West Haven, for use as a tire warehouse. The mill returned to use primarily by the New Haven Terminal Company during the late-20th century and continues in that capacity today.

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1920.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The former New Haven Silk Mill Company plant is comprised of roughly three primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located on the west side of Waterfront Street, at the southwest corner of Waterfront Street’s intersection with Alabama Street. All of the blocks were built in 1920, however, a number of structures (primarily oil storage tanks) not associated with the mill were constructed on the parcel during the latter two-thirds of the 20th century. The largest and most notable block connected to the New Haven Silk Mill Company stands immediately flanking Waterfront Street. This is a four-story, 200’ x 80’ reinforced concrete, steel, and red brick factory building with a flat roof. It has an exposed reinforced concrete frame with large bays filled with red brick spandrels, concrete windowsills, and multi-pane metal windows with hopper-style openings. The building is eleven bays wide and four bays deep and the walls rise to a concrete cornice and red brick parapet. Red brick stair towers rise to a fifth story within the northeast and southeast corners of the block. The building’s symmetrical façade centers on a one-story, three-bay reinforced concrete portico. This has heavy square columns, a concrete entablature, and concrete rooftop balustrade. The entry is set in a double-width opening and has a large plate glass transom above. The door opening is flanked by sidelights filled with glass blocks. A one-story, 200’ x 126’ red brick weave shed adjoins the west (rear) elevation of the main block. This has large rectangular window openings with concrete sills and corbelled brick headers. The brick walls rise to a plant roofline and the flat roof is spanned by seven large sawtooth monitors. The final building associated with the mill is a one-story, 84’ x 35’ red brick boiler house. This stands roughly 138’ west of the weave shed and has a front-facing gable roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Concrete
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Sawtooth

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Some of the exterior walls are in need of minor repairs and a number of the original windows throughout the complex have been replaced or infilled, however, most of the various sections of the plant are well maintained.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (30 Waterfront Street) totaling 25.3 acres located on the west side of Waterfront Street, at the southwest corner of Waterfront Street’s intersection with Alabama Street.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Transport)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 066/0951/00100. / Link →

Acreage

25.3

Use (Present)

• Commercial

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. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, 1920.
12. Hartford Courant, 1946, 1947.