Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Schlumberger Ltd. 1948-2006

Use (Historic)

• Rubber & Chemicals

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

French brothers Conrad (b.1878) and Marcel (b.1884) Schlumberger established their first office in Paris in 1923 to explore geophysical surveying, and began the precursor to Schlumberger Limited in 1926. The firm conducted surface prospecting for the ore mining industry and for oil. In recognition of the US market for petroleum exploration, the Schlumberger Well Surveying Corporation was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1935. In 1948, a research facility was established in Ridgefield, Connecticut, to study the geology and chemistry of petroleum and develop new tools and techniques for the oil services sector. Under the leadership of Henri Doll, who had begun working with the Schlumberger brothers in 1925, the Ridgefield facility produced the “laterolog,” “micro-laterolog,” “proximity log,” and “induction log,” all tools critical to petroleum exploration. The Ridgefield facility was closed in 2006, and its operations were moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Schlumberger Limited continues to be a prominent corporation in the petroleum exploration field.

Number of Existing Buildings

One (1) block.

Dates of Construction

1952

Architect

Philip Johnson

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration

Architectural Description

The Ridgefield complex consisted of seven buildings, research laboratories, library and administration, built between 1948 and 1984. The executive office building was designed by Philip Johnson in 1952, receiving an AIA Merit Award in 1956. Architect Howard Barnstone designed an asymmetrical research office complex in 1979. All but the Philip Johnson Administration Building (at lower center left in aerial) were demolished in 2015. It is a one story Miesian structure with a central core of library, conference room and central patio surrounded by perimeter offices.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

n/a

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

One 30.4 acre parcel between Old Quarry Road to the north and Sunset Lane to the south.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• E14-0162 / Link →

Acreage

30.4

Use (Present)

• Other: BassamFellows (furniture and interior design) restored administration building as corporate offices 2018

Form Completed By

Renée Tribert

Date

December 2016

Bibliography

1. Schlumberger Limited website.
2. Docomomo-US website.
3. Site and Building Reuse Assessment, Former Schlumberger Site, Milone and MacBroom, August 2011.