Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Shepard Steel Co. 1972-Present (2015)
• Unknown ca. 1960-1972

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

135 (ca. 1960).

Historic Narrative

The Shepard Steel Company was established as the Shepard Company, a metal scrap and salvage business, in 1956. This was organized by Shepard G. Schwartz, a resident of Hartford, in 1956, and initially maintained an office and yard on Connecticut Boulevard in East Hartford. By the late-1950s, the firm had shifted into the steel fabrication business and in order to reflect this change was incorporated as the Shepard Steel Company in 1959. By 1964 the company had expanded to such a degree that larger quarters became necessary, whereupon a new office and shop at 110 Meadow Street in Hartford was constructed. The Shepard Steel Company’s Hartford plant initially consisted of a 2,300 square-foot office and 7,500 square-foot workshop staffed by 20 employees. By 1968, the office and shop had been enlarged to 6,000 and 47,000 square-feet, respectively. In 1972, the company’s Miscellaneous Metals Division was moved from Hartford to Newington, Connecticut, after overall employment at Shepard Steel had exceeded 100 hands. The company continues to operate both its Hartford and Newington plants with notable recent contracts including the Duracell, Inc. headquarters erected in Bethel, Connecticut, in 1994; the Timex Corporation headquarters built in Middlebury, Connecticut, in 2000; and the Ocean House Hotel constructed in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 2010.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly four (4) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1960, 1970.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The Shepard Steel Company’s Newington plant is comprised of four adjoining and freestanding blocks located at the eastern terminus of Shepard Drive, immediately south of the town line with West Hartford and on the west side of the rail line running between Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut. The main portion of the complex consists of three adjoining two-story blocks erected ca. 1960. These consist of a 31’ x 36’ concrete block office building, a 415’ x 65’ 52’ steel-frame and concrete block manufacturing building, and a 312’ x 70’ steel-frame and concrete block manufacturing building. The office has small rectangular window openings (some in paired or tripartite arrangements) with concrete sills, six-over-six double-hung sash, and a flat roof. The larger (westernmost) of the two manufacturing buildings adjoins the east elevation of the office. It has concrete block half-walls, large ribbon windows with multi-pane metal sash, corrugated metal sheathing, and a low-pitch side-gabled roof. The second manufacturing block (that on the eastern side of the plant) adjoins the east elevation of the aforementioned manufacturing building. The eastern block has concrete block half-walls, large ribbon windows filled with translucent paneling, and a low-pitch side-gabled roof. The final structure associated with the plant is a freestanding, one-story office structure located 125’ west of the southern end of the factory. This measures 80’ x 40’ and has a concrete foundation, steel frame, corrugated metal siding, and a flat roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete
• Steel

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Metal
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. Overall the plant appears structurally sound and it retains the majority of its original fenestration.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (53-55 Shepard Drive) totaling 5.02 acres located at the eastern terminus of Shepard Drive, immediately south of the town line with West Hartford and on the west side of the rail line running between Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 03/130/000. / Link →

Acreage

5.02

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

08/17/2015

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 Hartford County, H & C.T. Smith, 1855.
6. Atlas of Hartford County, Beers, Baker & Tilden, 1869.
7. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
8. Hartford City Directories, Various editions.
9. Shepard Steel Company, Company website.