Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Robertson Bleachery and Dye Works 1917-1958
• Robertson Bleachery, Inc. 1958-Unknown

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

200-299 (1939).

Historic Narrative

The Robertson Bleachery and Dye Works was organized with $700,000 in capital in 1916. The firm was established and led by Charles N. Robertson of Lonsdale, Rhode Island, president, and his sons Charles N. Robertson Jr. and William H. Robertson of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, as vice-president and secretary-treasurer, respectively. The firm processed and finished raw cotton textiles and operated within a large brick plant designed by Lockwood, Greene and Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, and erected by the J.W. Bishop Company of Worcester, Massachusetts in 1917. The company’s machinery was built and supplied by H.W. Butterworth and Son of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Robertson Bleachery and Dye Works immediately established itself as one of the largest employers in New Milford and through the 1920s and 1930s employed between 200 and 300 hands. The company continued to operate until 1958, whereupon the business and its associated plant and machinery were bought out by the New Milford Industrial Corporation, a holding company established by William L. Hadden, a former Connecticut lieutenant governor and state attorney general. The textile plant was reorganized as the Robertson Bleachery, Inc. and the majority of employees were retained as work quickly resumed. Robertson Bleachery, Inc. continued to operate into the second half of the 20th century, however, the business eventually succumbed to the collapse of New England’s textile industry and the plant fell silent. The factory complex was rehabilitated and adapted for mixed commercial and office use during the 1990s.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly six (6) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1917

Architect

Lockwood, Greene and Company, Boston

Builder

J.W. Bishop Company, Worcester

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former Robertson Bleachery and Dye Works plant is comprised of six primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located at the southern terminus of South Street, between the rail line to the east and the Housatonic River to the west. The complex was erected in 1917 and consists of a mix of one-, two-, and four-story red brick blocks. These all share similar architectural details including segmental-arched window openings with stone sills and replacement double-hung windows, corbelled brick cornices, and flat roofs. At the northwest corner of the plant there is a one-story, 146’ x 170’ manufacturing block that adjoins a two-story, 50’ x 213’ manufacturing building via a one-story, 38’ x 126’ office ell. To the south, a one-story, 78’ x 72’ block connects the first one-story building to a two-story, 80’ x 274’ manufacturing block. The latter is connected to a freestanding four-story, 52’ x 130’ block standing 50’ to the east with an enclosed catwalk located at the second floor level.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• EPDM
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Good

Condition Notes

The complex is in good condition. The plant has been rehabilitated relatively recently and although most of the original windows have been replaced the modern units are sylistically sympathetic to the historic character of the factory.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (143 West Street) totaling 6.72 acres located at the southern terminus of South Street, between the rail line to the east and the Housatonic River to the west.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 22/4/25/2 / Link →

Acreage

6.72

Use (Present)

• Commercial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

07/27/2015

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 Litchfield County; Hopkins, G.M., 1859.
6. Sanborn Map Company, 1887, 1892, 1897, 1904, 1909, 1931, 1939.
7. The Bridgeport Post, 1958.
8. New Milford Revisited; New Milford Historical Society, 2015.