Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Peter Paul Coil Co. ca. 1955-1965
• Peter Paul Electronics Co. 1965-late 20th c.
• The Johnson Pattern & Model Co. ca. 1950
• W.A. Kinne Brass Foundry 1905-1955

Use (Historic)

• Electrical Equipment
• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

Unknown

Historic Narrative

The W.A. Kinne Brass Foundry was established in New Britain, Connecticut, in 1895. The firm was owned and operated by William A. Kinne, who began the business as a bicycle fabrication and repair shop. Over the course of the late 1890s and early 1900s, Kinne diversified operations to include light machine and brass casting work. Kinne’s initial workshops were located at 59 Church Street and then 54 Main Street, while the foundry at 235 Whiting Street was established in 1905. Kinne expanded the facility ca. 1920 and remained in business until 1955, just two years before his death at the age of 85. After the Kinne foundry closed, the facility on Whiting Street passed to the Peter Paul Coil Company, a manufacturer of wire products primarily marketed to the electronics industry. The Peter Paul Coil Company changed its name to the Peter Paul Electronics Company in 1965, and substantially expanded the New Britain plant in 1977. It also established a production facility in Puerto Rico around the same time. The company vacated the Whiting Street factory during the late 20th century and moved to a new plant at 480 John Downey Drive in New Britain, where it remains in business manufacturing a variety of valves and electronic products.

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) adjoining blocks.

Dates of Construction

1905, ca. 1920, 1977.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former W.A. Kinne Brass Foundry is comprised of three adjoining primary blocks located on the south side of Whiting Street, roughly 150’ west of Whiting Street’s intersection with Stanley Street. The oldest block is a one-story, 40’ x 40’ red brick building erected as part of the original foundry in 1905. The building has red brick walls with segmental-arched window openings infilled with glass blocks and a front-facing gable roof with a full-length clerestory monitor. A two-story, 40’ x 68’ red brick addition was built adjoining the north elevation of the original block ca. 1920. The building has highly detailed exterior walls with segmental-arched window openings with brick keystones, a red brick stringcourse that extends across the second-floor lintels, a corbelled red brick cornice, and flat roof. The entry is centered on the north (façade) elevation and is housed within a red brick surround with highly detailed entablature. A one-story concrete block addition with a flat roof was erected adjoining the southern end of the facility in 1977. This has a roughly L-shaped footprint measuring approximately 200’ x 140’.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete Block

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• EPDM
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The factory is in fair condition. The majority of the original windows openings have either been partially or entirely infilled with glass blocks and a combination of red brick and pivot style windows.

Specific Location

One 1.3-acre parcel (235 Whiting Street) located on the south side of Whiting Street, roughly 150’ west of Whiting Street’s intersection with Stanley Street.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• B9B/ 98 / Link →

Acreage

1.3

Use (Present)

• Commercial

Form Completed By

Lucas Karmazinas

Date

2/11/2105

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.