Mill Record New Britain

RETURN TO ‘FIND MILLS’

Disclaimer: Content for these properties was compiled in 2014-2017 from a variety of sources and is subject to change. Updates are occasionally made under Property Information, however the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation (dba Preservation Connecticut) makes no representation or warranty that the information is complete or up-to-date.

Complex Name (Common)
Stanley Works DEMO of 19th c blocks 2017
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Stanley Works
Address or Location
200,480 and 600 Myrtle Street, New Britain
County
Hartford
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Stanley Black and Decker 2010-Present (2015)
  • Stanley Works 1872-2010

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

Over 1000 (1939)

Historic Narrative

Frederick T. Stanley first entered the hardware manufacturing business in the early 1830s when he organized a plate lock factory along with his brother William and three other partners. Stanley’s participation in the business was short-lived, however, and by 1840 he had withdrawn from the firm and relocated to the South. In 1842, Stanley returned to New Britain and organized the Stanley Works, a small manufactory for the production of wrought iron door and chest handles, hinges, and bolts. The initial plant was located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Washington and Willow (later renamed Lake) Streets, occupying a building formerly used as an armory. High demand for the company’s products soon necessitated expansion of both the firm’s plant and workforce, and in short order Stanley-made goods could be found in a number of major American cities. In 1852 the company was incorporated with $30,000 in capital and builder’s hardware was added to the firm’s catalog. By 1871 additional production space was needed and a new three-story brick pier factory was erected on the south side of Myrtle Street. By 1890 this plant had been expanded so as to occupy roughly 450’ of frontage along Myrtle Street and consisted of over a dozen primary manufacturing buildings and support structures. Meanwhile, in 1883, the company’s shop on Lake Street was given over to the production of tacks, brads, and assorted varieties of nails. Although Frederick T. Stanley died in 1883, during his tenure as president he had overseen the development of a number of innovations that would garner success for the Stanley Works well after his passing. Many of these were initiated by William H. Hart, treasurer of the company from 1854 to 1883, and president of the firm from 1884 to 1915. Notable among technologies pioneered by the Stanley Works in this early period was the increased use of stamping and cold rolling machinery, which throughout the early 1870s allowed the company to create metal stock of uniform thicknesses, a critical element of hinge production. During the 1880s, the Stanley Works became the first company to substitute steel for the traditional wrought iron in the production of builders hardware, this largely facilitated by technologies developed by Stanley and Hart. The Stanley Works assumed a dominant position in New Britain’s manufacturing landscape under Hart’s management. The plant was continually enlarged and improved during this period, thus allowing the firm to make incredible contributions to the American war effort following the outbreak of the World War I. The company had consumed over 60,000,000 pounds of steel by the end of the conflict, for the production of over 6,000,000 gas mask valves, 4,000,000 artillery shells, 10,000,000 Browning machine gun magazines, and 300,000 rifle sockets. The firm’s growth continued in the post-war period, with a significant milestone taking place in 1920 when the company acquired the Stanley Rule and Level Company, another New Britain-based manufacturer founded in 1869 by Augustus and Gad Stanley, distant relatives of Frederick T. Stanley. The company’s success throughout the remainder of the 20th century was driven both by enlargement of its New Britain plant as well as by acquisition-based growth. Notable among the latter was the purchase of the Sheffield, England-based J.A. Chapman Company in 1937; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based North Brothers Manufacturing Company in 1946; Westerville, Ohio-based Mac Tools in 1980; East Greenwich, Rhode Island-based Bostich Company in 1986. A merger with the Towson, Maryland-based Black and Decker Corp. brought the company to its current state in 2010, with the product of this transaction known as Stanley Black and Decker, Inc. As of 2012, the company employed over 45,000 employees in its plants across the globe.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Dozens of primary and secondary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1872, ca. 1874, ca. 1885, 1899, ca. 1900, 1902, ca. 1905, ca. 1909-1934, 1946, ca. 1934-1950, ca. 1954-1965.

Architect

Leo F. Caproni (1964 Tools Division plant)

Builder

Turner Construction Co., Boston, and Berlin Steel Construction Co., Berlin (1964 Tools Division plant)

Building Type

Architectural Description

The Stanley Works complex is comprised of dozens of manufacturing, administrative, storage, and support buildings situated in a complex largely lining the south side of Myrtle St., beginning near Ct Route 72 and extending roughly 0.8-mile west past Curtis and Burritt Sts. to Corbin Ave. The oldest structures associated with the complex are located along the south side Myrtle St., between Booth and Curtis Sts. These were erected in 1871 and include a three-and-a-half-story, 202’ x 40’ brick factory building with a gable roof, and a two-and-a-half-story, 66’ x 44’ brick boiler house with a gable roof. The factory building was enlarged through the addition of a three-and-a-half-story, 120’ x 40’ brick factory block with a gable roof abutting its east elevation by 1874; and a three-and-a-half-story, 120’ x 40’ brick factory block with a gable roof abutting its west elevation ca. 1885. All three factory buildings are typical of industrial complexes erected during the late 19th century. They are characterized by their narrow width, comparatively high overall length, and thick masonry walls pierced by repeating bays of large window openings. The buildings have segmental-arched window openings, brownstone sills, and corbelled brick cornices. They were remodeled during the early-20th century, at which time the foundations were replaced, stair towers constructed along their north elevations, and additional floors added, the latter bringing them to a height of five stories. Between 1885 and 1909, the plant was enlarged through the construction of additional factory blocks and support structures. Notable among them are a one-story, 144’ x 80’ brick hinge shop with a flat roof built just west of Curtis St. in 1899; a five-story, 130’ x 40’ brick factory and storage building with a flat roof built adjoining the southern side of the main plant ca. 1900; a two-story, 275’ x 137’ brick rolling mill with a clerestory monitor roof built along the east side of Curtis St. in 1902; a five-story, 102’ x 45’ brick annealing shop with a flat roof built adjoining the western end of the main plant ca. 1905; a six-story, 135’ x 105’ brick storage building with a flat roof built at the western end of the complex ca. 1905; a two-story, 100’ x 60’ brick boiler house with flat roof built along Curtis St. ca. 1905; and a one-story, 128’ x 90’ brick office building with a clerestory monitor roof built on the north side of Lake St. ca. 1905. The growth of the Stanley Works continued through the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s with the construction of additional buildings taking place throughout the company’s complex, particularly west of Curtis St. These are typical of factory structures built during this period and were increasingly constructed of reinforced concrete or steel with brick or concrete block curtain walls. Notable among them are a one-and-a-half-story, 268’ x 230’ steel frame and brick rolling mill with a clerestory monitor roof built near Burritt St.; and a seven-story, 186’ x 200’ concrete hardware manufactory erected at the center of the block formed by Curtis, Myrtle, and Burritt Sts. The most notable structure built east of Curtis St. in this period was a seven-story, 132’ x 101’ concrete and brick shipping building erected at the eastern end of the complex by 1934. Construction projects persisted during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1946, a six-story, 222’ x 200’ concrete and brick factory building was erected at the southwest corner of Curtis and Myrtle Sts., and a five-story, 156’ x 200’ concrete and brick factory building was erected at the southeast corner of Burritt and Myrtle Sts. The first substantial building on the west side of Burritt St. was also constructed during this period, this consisting of a one-story, 183’ x 264’ concrete factory block built near Burritt St. between 1935 and 1950. The build-up of this section of the plant continued through the 1960s, as two modern factory buildings were erected here between 1954 and 1965.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Good, Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The buildings associated with the factory complex range from good to deteriorated condition. Particularly notable are the 19th and early-20th century legacy buildings located along Myrtle Street directly east and west of Curtis Street, which in addition to being vacant show various signs of wall and window deterioration.

Property Information

Specific Location

The complex is presently comprised of six legal parcels (200, 480 and 600 Myrtle Street; 65 and 100 Burritt Street; and 1 Lake Street) totaling 68.98 acres located on the south side of Myrtle Street, between Corbin Avenue to the west and CT Route 72 to the east, and along the north side of Lake Street.

Adjacent To

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

68.98

Use (Present)

  • Industrial
  • Other: Stanley Works negotiating since 1998 for use of buildings west of Myrtle and Curtis by Thunderbird as data center/park. Demo of 19th century blocks along Myrtle east of Curtis announced 6/2017. Office building at 480 Myrtle St bought by Amit Lakhotia for res redev to 106 market rate studio and 1-bedroom rental apartments; construction start summer 2022. 10/2023 state Bond Commission authorized $1.5m for conversion.
  • Vacant
Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

02/12/2015

Bibliography

  1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
  2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
  3. Map of Hartford County, H & C.T. Smith, 1855.
  4. Atlas of Hartford County, Beers, Baker & Tilden, 1869.
  5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
  6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
  7. Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1890, 1895, 1909, 1950, 1954.
  8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
  9. Birdseye View of New Britain, 1875.
  10. New Britain City Directory, 1860-1960.
  11. Hartford Courant, 1919, 1920, 1986.
  12. History of New Britain, With Sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Camp, David, N., 1889.
  13. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
  14. Information, historic photographs and sources for Leo Caproni courtesy Gregg Bateman (2018).
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file




Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

02/12/2015