Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• A. Vincent Pepe & Co. 1938-1955
• F.B. Shuster Co. 1955-ca. 1963
• Mettler Machine Tool Co. 1955-ca. 1963
• Shuster-Mettler Corp. ca. 1963-Present (2015)

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Paper & Wood Products

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown.

Historic Narrative

The firm that would eventually become the Shuster-Mettler Corporation was formed in 1950 as a result of the merger of two well-established New Haven, Connecticut machine tool companies, the F.B. Shuster Company, and the Mettler Machine Tool Company. The origins of the F.B. Shuster Company date back to 1866 and the founding of the New Haven firm of John Adt and Son. Franklin B. Shuster, a New Haven native, learned the machinist’s trade at John Adt and Son before going on to find employment at the New Haven Clock Company and the Wilmot and Hobbs Manufacturing Company (later the American Tube and Stamping Works). John Adt was predeceased by his son and after the elder partner died in 1895, Shuster purchased the business which specialized in the design and manufacture of automatic wire straighteners and cutters and riveting machines. Shuster incorporated the firm as the F.B. Shuster Company in 1898. The F.B. Shuster Company maintained a shop on Mill River Street until 1950 when control of the firm was acquired by the Mettler Machine Tool Company. Mettler Machine Tool was organized in New Haven by Casper W. Mettler in 1920 and moved to Lawrence Street after occupying a shop on State Street during its initial years. After the two companies merged, the F.B. Shuster Company was relocated to Lawrence Street, where the two firms remained for five years. In 1955, all activities were moved to a building at the corner of Adeline Street and Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. The shop had formerly been occupied by the woodworking shop of A. Vincent Pepe and Company, which moved to New Haven from Derby, Connecticut, in 1938. Here the Mettler Machine Tool manufactured a variety of products largely designed and patented by the F.B. Shuster Company. The Shuster-Mettler Corporation was incorporated in 1963 and the firm remains in operation on Adeline Street in New Haven today.

Number of Existing Buildings

Four (4) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1938, ca. 1955.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill

Architectural Description

The Shuster-Mettler Corporation facility is comprised of four primary adjoining blocks located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Adeline Street and Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. The oldest portion of the complex consists of two adjoining blocks erected in 1938. These include a two-story, 18’ x 48’ brick office building located at the southeast corner of the present facility, which has a one-story, 98’ x 50’ brick manufacturing block adjoining its west elevation. Both the office and manufacturing blocks have concrete foundations and large rectangular window openings with concrete sills. The office building has a flat roof, while the manufacturing block has a side-gabled roof. Signage located between the first and second stories of the office’s façade (south elevation) reads ‘SHUSTER-METTLER/CORP.’ spelled out in metal lettering. A triangular sign to the east of the office’s primary entrance bears a letter ‘S’ and the words ‘SINCE 1866.’ Two concrete block additions were constructed adjoining the west and north elevations of the manufacturing building ca. 1955. These stand one-story tall and measure 52’ x 90’ and 40’ x 18’, respectively. They share similar details including large rectangular window openings with concrete sills, and flat roofs. Two large loading bays with paired wood sliding doors are located on the west elevation of the larger block. A hoist beam projects from the southernmost of the two bays, above which there is a metal sign that reads “SHUSTER-METTLER CORP.’

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. The exterior walls are in need of fresh paint and most of the original windows have been covered with translucent fiberglass panels.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (155 Adeline Street) totaling 0.79 acres located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Adeline Street and Ella T. Grasso Boulevard.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 304/0090/00500. / Link →

Acreage

0.79

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/13/2015

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 New Haven County; Clark, Richard, 1859.
6. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
7. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1901, 1911, 1923, 1950.
9. New Haven City Directory; Various editions.
10. History of the City of New Haven to the Present Time, 1887.
11. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, 1920.
12. American Machinist, Vol. 35, August 31, 1911.