Mill Record New Haven
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)
- W. and E.T. Fitch Co.
- Complex Name (Historic)
-
- W. and E.T. Fitch Co.
- Address or Location
- 151 East Street, Mill River, New Haven
- County
- New Haven
- Historic Designation
- Associated Mill Community
- n/a
- Historic Information
Companies Associated w/Complex
- North and Judd Mfg. Co. c.1923-1924
- W. and E.T. Fitch Co. c.1917
Use (Historic)
Largest Documented Workforce
n/a
Historic Narrative
Saddlery Hardware Mfrs. W. and E. T. Fitch moved their hardware manufactory from New Haven's Westville district to the south end carriage manufacturing district in 1853. Carriage springs and cabinet locks comprised the bulk of output, though by the l880s the firm made a full range of carriage and builder's hardware, and the foundries took contract work as well as casting parts for Fitch's stock products. Most of the casting was done at the Fitch's foundry complex just south on East St. The Fitch buildings, now tenanted, remain as the most intact plant from New Haven's extensive 19th century carriage and carriage parts industry. (Roth)
- Architectural Information
Number of Existing Buildings
Roughly six (6) blocks.
Dates of Construction
c.1870s, c.1890-1920
Architect
n/a
Builder
n/a
Building Type
Architectural Description
The oldest of the extant brick structures, built in the 1870s, replaced earlier frame buildings. The 4-story mill, 125' x 34', housed machining operations; it has a corner stair tower, segmental-arch lintels and stone sills. An adjacent building, 2-story 72' x 27' with an ell 35' x 16', housed offices and rooms for packing and shipping. Most of the casting was done at the Fitch's foundry complex just south on East St., but one small foundry was built to the north of the 4-story mill. This high, 1-story foundry, 45' x 28', has a near-flat roof crowned with a low, narrow monitor and abuts a 2-story building, 52' x 38', that probably housed patternmaking. The largest foundry to the south, 193' x 40', also rises a single high story and has a low, narrow monitor along its ridge. From about 1890 to 1920 three more foundries and a heat-treating room were erected adjacent to the south foundry. (Roth)
Exterior Material(s)
Structural System(s)
n/a
Roof Form
Roof Material
n/a
Power Source
n/a
Condition
n/a
Condition Notes
n/a
- Property Information
-
Specific Location
Four parcels totaling 1.27 acres on the east side of East Street, south of Chapel Street
Adjacent To
n/a
Exterior Visible from Public Road?
Yes
Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link
Acreage
1.27
Use (Present)
- Sources
-
Form Completed By
n/a
Date
n/a
Bibliography
- Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
- Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file
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Photographer
n/a
Photography Date
n/a
