Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Connecticut Railway & Lighting Co. ca. 1901-ca. 1905
• Norwalk & South Norwalk Electric Light Co. 1891-ca. 1901
• Norwalk Hat Co. ca. 1925-ca.1955
• St. George Pulp Paper Co. ca. 1905-ca.1912

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories
• Paper & Wood Products
• Transportation
• Other: Power generation

Largest Documented Workforce

100-199 (1939).

Historic Narrative

The Norwalk and South Norwalk Electric Light Company was chartered in Norwalk, Connecticut on April 20, 1887. The utility was led my several residents of Norwalk including Charles Olmsted, president; John H. Hoyt, secretary; and Charles E. Dustin, treasurer. The company’s first electric generation station was constructed at the corner of Wilton Avenue and Cross Street in Norwalk in 1891, and a system of six dynamos was soon up and running in order to power a network of local streetlights. Despite early successes, the Norwalk and South Norwalk Electric Light Company fell into financial difficulties and was placed in receivership in 1894 after compiling a debt of roughly $80,000. The utility struggled on for several more years, however, by 1901 the company and its Wilton Avenue property had been acquired by the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company. 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 the 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 firm acquisitions, as was common among many streetcar operations, however, the Norwalk generation station was eventually divested and sold to the St. George Pulp Paper Company by 1906. The St. George Pulp Paper Company was an established firm with a substantial plant in Norwalk on Smith Street, south of Wall Street. The company occupied the Wilton Avenue factory only briefly, however, as by 1912 it had fallen vacant. The plant remained unoccupied until the mid-1920s, when it was acquire by the Norwalk Hat Company, one of several hat manufacturers to carry that name at various periods of time. During the 1930s, the Norwalk Hat Company was managed by Randal McLachlin, president; Thomas H. Canty, vice-president; and J. Harold Cobb, secretary. The firm produced hats in the rough and substantially expanded the Wilton Avenue factory in order to accommodate its needs. The Norwalk Hat Company occupied the factory into the 1950s, however, the firm ceased operations in Norwalk by the mid-1950s. The property has subsequently been occupied by a printing firm, construction company, grocery, and upholstery business. It presently houses a restaurant and a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment supplier.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly four (4) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1871, ca. 1925, ca. 1960.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The former Norwalk and South Norwalk Electric Light Company generation station is comprised of roughly four primary adjoining blocks located on the east side of Wilton Avenue, at the northeast corner of Wilton Avenue’s intersection with Cross Street. The two original blocks were erected in 1891 and consist of a one-and-a-half-story, 74’ x 66’ read brick manufacturing building with a one-story, 52’ x 38’ red brick boiler house and stock room adjoining the southern end of its west elevation. The main block has both rectangular and segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, and a side-gabled roof with a gabled clerestory monitor. The boiler plant likewise has both rectangular and segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, yet has a flat rather than gable roof. An 80’-tall rectangular red brick chimney adjoins the southwest corner of the building. A one-story, 74’ x 126’ brick manufacturing block was erected adjoining the west elevation of the boiler plant ca. 1925. This originally had large window openings filled with multipane metal sash, however, these have since been infilled with concrete block. The building has a flat roof with a full-length, 5’-tall clerestory monitor. A one-story, 25’ x 38’ concrete block addition was erected adjoining the boiler house’s north elevation ca. 1960, this connecting the original and ca. 1925 manufacturing buildings. The addition lacks window openings and has a flat roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Clerestory Monitor
• Flat
• Gable
• Monitor

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Some of the windows in the original (southern) block have been replaced or the openings altered, and all of the windows in the rear factory addition have been infilled with concrete block. Otherwise, however, the complex appears to be well maintained and structurally sound.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (2 Wilton Avenue) totaling 0.52 acres located on the east side of Wilton Avenue, at the northeast corner of Wilton Avenue’s intersection with Cross Street.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 1/ 74/ 54/ 0 / Link →

Acreage

0.52

Use (Present)

• Commercial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

12/10/2015

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, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1891, 1896, 1901, 1906, 1922, 1950, 1958.
9. Norwalk Directory; Various editions.
10. Hartford Courant, 1894, 1900, 1935.
11. Norwalk; Grant, Lisa Wilson, 2014.