Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Torin Corp. 1969-1982
• Torrington Manufacturing Co., Air Impeller Division 1922-1969

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

1000 (1954)

Historic Narrative

The Torrington Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1885 for the production of brass furniture nails. The firm was the first in the country to successfully manufacture and market this line of hardware and by the 1890s the company enjoyed considerable profitability. By the 1910s the Torrington Manufacturing Company had expanded its catalog to include products ranging from brass upholstery nails, novelties, and turnings, to metal working machinery such as spring coiling machines. This growth necessitated multiple expansions to its Franklin Street plant, which by 1915 extended west along Franklin Street from its intersection with Center Street, and south between the west branch of the Naugatuck River and Franklin Drive (then Treat Street). In 1920 the Torrington Manufacturing Company began construction on a two-story reinforced concrete manufacturing building along Franklin Drive some 700’ south of Franklin Street. This was to house a division recently formed with the intention of diversifying beyond brass products and machine tools, crowded fields in Connecticut at the time. The newly established Air Impeller Division occupied this building by 1922. Through its Air Impeller Division the Torrington Manufacturing Company developed and designed a diverse array of fan blades and blower wheels used in various heating, cooling, and ventilation applications. By 1940, 80 percent of the firm’s sales were comprised of products developed after 1933, the majority of these produced by the Air Impeller Division. The aforementioned success necessitated additional production space and the Air Impeller Division plant was subsequently enlarged through the addition of further manufacturing buildings in 1940 and 1953. The latter structure totaled over 46,000 square feet and more than doubled the size of the existing Air Impeller plant. The expansion allowed the division to increase employment from 283 to over 1,000 workers, a large percentage of these being women who worked on the assembly lines. The firm was one of several hundred companies that supplied parts for IBM's innovative 701 'defense computer,' which was the first commercially available large-scale electronic computer developed in 1951-52. In the 1960s and 1970s, the company commissioned architect Marcel Breuer to design a number of facilities. Four of these were in Torrington (see #2838 at 89 Commercial Boulevard, 1963, and #4067 at 200 Kennedy Drive, 1965). The Torrington Manufacturing Company continued to operate until 1969, whereupon the firm changed its name to the Torin Corporation. This move was largely made in an effort to reduce the confusion that for many years had arisen as a result of the similarity in titles between the Torrington Manufacturing Company and the unaffiliated Torrington Company, yet it was also hoped that it would give the firm a more modern patina. The renamed Torin Corporation continued to operate until 1982, at which time it was bought out by the White Plains, New York-based Clevepak Corporation, a specialty packaging and industrial products company. The latter firm operated the former Torin Corporation Air Impeller and machinery factories into the mid-1980s, whereupon they and other plants affiliated with the Torin Corporation were sold off and eventually closed by various buyers. The Franklin Avenue factory buildings were demolished in 2015.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly six (6) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1920, ca. 1925, 1940, 1953, 1962

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Torrington Manufacturing Company Air Impeller Division plant consists of a large complex of roughly six primary buildings/blocks located on the west side of Franklin Drive just north of the juncture of the east and west branches of the Naugatuck River. The factory has gone through numerous expansions over the course of its history, however, although its earliest block has been surrounded by additions the original details of this three-story structure are still clearly visible. The initial Air Impeller plant was designed by the New York, New York firm of Carsen and Lunden, Architects, and built in 1920. It consisted of a 180’ x 60’, two-story reinforced concrete structure with wide window bays flanked by concrete piers. This was later raised to three stories, likely during the 1950s. The building’s windows consist of steel sash with hopper style openings and the roof is flat. A two-story storage building was erected to the west (rear) of the main Air Impeller plant ca. 1925. This measures 58’ x 100’ and is of identical detailing to the main manufacturing plant. A one-story block connects the two buildings as well as provides access to later additions erected in 1940 and 1953. The former consists of a one-story, 102’ x 224’ brick manufacturing building with sawtooth monitor roof located adjacent to the northern elevation of the original plant. Large metal sash hopper windows and three loading docks with roll-up garage-style doors are visible along the northern elevation of the 1940 block. The 1953 addition consists of a 188’ x 248’, one-and-a-half-story steel frame structure with brick and concrete block curtain walls. A narrow ribbon window with metal louver-style shades spans nearly the full width of the building’s east (front) elevation, while a similar opening with fixed multi-pane metal sash runs along the southern side of the block. A 13’ x 86’, one-story brick block with recessed entry vestibule and a flat roof unifies the facades of the 1920 and 1953 blocks. This was designed by the renowned architectural firm, Marcel Breuer and Associates, and erected in 1962.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete
• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Structural Concrete
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Sawtooth

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair to deteriorated condition. The oldest sections of the plant are in the worst shape as broken windows and failing roofs are prevalent and the exterior walls are in dire need of repairs and repainting.

Specific Location

One 6.16 acre parcel on the west side of Franklin Drive and north of the juncture of the east and west branches of the Naugatuck River.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 116/027/001 / Link →

Acreage

6.16

Use (Present)

• Other: DECD awarded $200k brownfield grant for predevelopment activities 6/2021. Pennrose Riverfront 60-unit rental apartment building opened 2022.

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

12/22/2014

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Atlas of Litchfield County, F.W. Beers & Co., 1874.
4. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
5. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
6. Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1891, 1901, 1909, 1915, 1924, 1931, 1949.
7. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
8. The Hartford Courant, 1940, 1950, 1953, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1985.
9. The History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, 1918.
10. Torrington Register Souvenir Edition, 1897.
11. Torrington Historic Preservation Trust website.
12. ‘IBM 701: A Notable First,’ IBM Archives (2002). Web; accessed November 2016.