Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Altek Company
• Torin Corp. 1969-1982
• Torrington Company Machine Division 1963-1969

Use (Historic)

• Electrical Equipment
• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

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 type of hardware (see #2736 and 2757 on Franklin Street and Franklin Drive respectively, for further company history). By the mid-20th century, the company's Air Impeller Division was producing fan blades and blower wheels used in heating, cooling, and ventilation. Starting in the 1950s, the company commissioned architect Marcel Breuer to design a number of facilities. The first commission for the Torrington Manufacturing Company (later the Torin Corp.) identified in the Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) papers at the Archives of American Art was in 1953 for a facility in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Breuer's office completed eight commissions for the company through the early 1970s, four of which are located in Torrington. The company name change to the Torin Corporation occurred in 1969, as part of a campaign of modernization. In the 1980s, the Torin Corporation was bought by the Clevepak Corporation and its facilities were gradually sold and closed. The Franklin Avenue factory buildings were demolished in 2015.

Number of Existing Buildings

One

Dates of Construction

1963

Architect

Marcel Breuer & Associates (Robert Gatje)

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The building is a one-story flat-roofed structure, a long low rectangle with ribbon windows. Steel structural members are expressed on the exterior. Porcelain enamel aluminum siding and block brick panels infill between the steel columns. Designed by Robert Gatje in Marcel Breuer's office.

Exterior Material(s)

• Other: Porcelain enamel aluminum siding

Structural System(s)

• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

One 10.11 acre parcel on the east side of Commercial Boulevard, south of Kennedy Drive.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 135/001/007 / Link →

Acreage

10.11

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Charlotte Hitchcock

Date

December 2016

Bibliography

1. Breuer papers at Archives of American Art accessed via:.
2. Smithsonian Institute website.
3. Smithsonian Institute website.
4. Smithsonian Institute website.
5. See Record #2757 for additional source citations.