Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Connecticut Casket Company 2010-Present (2015)
• Roselin Mfg. Co. 1935-late-20th c.
• S.C.S. Box Co. 1914-ca. 1927

Use (Historic)

• Paper & Wood Products
• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

25-49 (1939).

Historic Narrative

The S.C.S. Box Company announced its intention to relocate from Brooklyn, New York, to Willimantic, Connecticut in 1913. The manufacturer produced a variety of collapsible paper boxes and by 1914, a local partnership had been organized to finance the construction of a new plant for this purpose on Moulton Court in Willimantic. This was leased to the S.C.S. Box Company for an initial period of ten years where work was conducted under plant manager F.H. Sherman. By the mid-1920s, Sherman had risen to the role of president and general manager of the firm. In 1927, the decision was made to move the plant from Willimantic to Palmer, Massachusetts. The Moulton Court plant appears to have remained underutilized or vacant until 1935, when it was purchased by the Roselin Manufacturing Company, a New York-based textile firm specializing in cotton and rayon braiding and ribbon that was moved to Willimantic by its president, Isadore Rosenstein. The Roselin Manufacturing Company also occupied the former Willimantic Machine Company plant just to the southwest on Milk Street, however, only the former S.C.S Box Company plant was significantly enlarged by Roselin Manufacturing around the time of the acquisition. Both factories were heavily damaged during the Hurricane of 1938. The upper story of the original block of the Moulton Court factory was blown in and had to rebuilt following the storm. The Roselin Manufacturing Company continued to operate into the late 20th century, with Mitchell Rosenstein, the son of Isadore Rosenstein continuing to serve as president until his retirement in 1989. Since 2010, the former S.C.S. Box Company has housed the Connecticut Casket Company, a locally-based manufacturer of caskets, urns, and other funerary products.

Number of Existing Buildings

Four (4) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1914, ca. 1935, ca 1940.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former S.C.S. Box Company plant is comprised of four adjoining blocks located on the south side of Moulton Court, roughly 285’ east of Moulton Court’s intersection with Milk Street. The original portion of the factory is located at the core of the plant and consists of a two-story, 150’ x 62’ red brick block that was erected in 1914. The upper story of the building was destroyed during the Hurricane of 1938, yet was rebuilt after the storm. The original construction shows segmental-arched window openings with stone sills and either nine-over-nine or twelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash. The 1938 construction is of brick pier construction and has rectangular window openings with concrete sills, multi-pane metal sash with hopper style openings, and a low-pitch side-gabled roof. Two additions to the plant were completed ca. 1935 and ca. 1940. They consist of a two-story, 180’ x 66’ red brick manufacturing block adjoining the north elevation of the original factory ca. 1935; and a two-story, 40’ x 45’ concrete block accessory building and one-story, 20’ x 20’ concrete block shipping ell erected adjoining the south elevation of the original plant ca. 1940. The manufacturing addition has rectangular window openings with concrete sills, multi-pane metal sash with hopper style openings, and a low-pitch side-gabled roof with exposed rafter tails. The fenestration in the ca. 1940 blocks has concrete sills and lintels and a mix of original and replacement double-hung sash. Both ca. 1940 buildings have low-pitch side-gabled roofs.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Portions of the exterior walls are in need of cleaning and minor repairs and many of the windows require restoration, however, overall, the plant appears sound.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (23 Moulton Court) totaling 1.79 acres located on the south side of Moulton Court, roughly 285’ east of Moulton Court’s intersection with Milk Street.

Adjacent To

• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 14-3/108/15 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

1.79

Use (Present)

• Industrial
• Residential

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

08/13/2015

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 Windham County; E.M. Woodford, 1855.
6. Atlas of Windham County; O.W. Gray, 1869.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1908, 1914, 1924, 1948.
8. Hartford Courant, 1914, 1995.
9. A History of Windham County, Connecticut; Bayles, Richard M., ed., 1889.
10. A Modern History of Windham County, Connecticut; Lincoln, Allen B., 1920.