Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Bantam Ball Bearing Co. 1917-1927
• Bantam Manufacturing Co. 1905-1917
• Warren McArthur Corp. 1937-1949

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Transportation

Largest Documented Workforce

1500 (1945)

Historic Narrative

NOTE: DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR SR LISTING IN 2020 BY SHPO. The Bantam Manufacturing Company was organized in 1905 and produced ball bearings. Later known as the Bantam Anti-Friction Company, it was incorporated in 1917 as the Bantam Ball Bearing Company, focusing on the production of automotive bearings. In 1926, the firm was sued by the Welworth Automotive Company of New York City for failing to meet the demands of a contract. As a result, in August of that year the company was served a Writ of Attachment, which seized all of its assets; the board of directors applied for and was granted a government receivership. Bantam Ball Bearing Company began looking for a new home later that year, and moved to South Bend, Indiana, in 1927 to be closer to the automotive industry. Ironically, in 1935, the Bantam Ball Bearing Company of South Bend, Indiana, was sold to the Torrington Company of Torrington, Connecticut. In 1937, the old ball bearing factory, along with the 90-acre Scott Bowen farm, was purchased by the Warren MacArthur Corporation of Rome, New York. The company was started by Warren McArthur (1885-1961), an Art Deco furniture designer from Chicago. McArthur’s family home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. McArthur studied mechanical engineering at Cornell, graduating in 1908. From 1911 to 1914 he filed nearly a dozen patents, at least one of which is still in production today. In 1929, McArthur moved to Los Angeles where he started to produce metal furniture; his products, which featured unfading paint and a lifetime guarantee, became immensely popular in California. In 1933, after the death of his father, McArthur moved his company to Rome, New York. Warren McArthur Corp. moved into the Bantam facility in 1938 after renovations. The company’s experience using light aluminum framing in its furniture led to contracts with the United States government during the Second World War to design and produce aircraft seats. Before the war, the company had employed approximately 28 people; by 1945 that number had grown to over 1,500. It was estimated that Warren McArthur produced between 75 and 85 percent of all seats used in American military aircraft. Aside from the sheer number of seats produced in Bantam, McArthur’s most notable technological contribution was the design of seats made from a magnesium alloy tubing which saved precious war-needed materials. While light, the seats were strong, meeting structural tests for loads exceeding 2,400 pounds. General Douglas McArthur’s command chair in Japan was built at the Bantam plant. After the war, Warren McArthur began to produce seats for commercial airlines, however it went out of business by 1949.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly (8) eight blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1915, c. 1941

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Loft

Architectural Description

Little survives unaltered from the Bantam Ball Bearing Company’s occupancy from 1900 to 1926. The oldest structure is a c.1915 two story-concrete office building. Other, primarily concrete, buildings survive but were extensively altered by the Warren McArthur Inc., during World War II. The main reinforced concrete blocks have full bay steel (or aluminum) frame 36-pane windows, above which is a plain entablature.

Exterior Material(s)

• Concrete

Structural System(s)

• Structural Concrete
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Good, Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The building has been stuccoed.

Specific Location

One 1.75 acre parcel at the southwest corner of Bantam Lake Road and Bantam Road (Rte 202), bordered to the west and south by the Bantam River.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 167/ 73/ 142 / Link →

Acreage

1.75

Use (Present)

• Other: Roger Bohan and Jack Nelson (Concord Environmental) purchased the site in 2003 to rehab; work has been slow and included demolition of some parts of the building. 2023 article: https://archives.rep-am.com/2023/04/01/factory-site-in-bantam-getting-rehab/#google_vignette
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Michael Forino

Date

August 2014

Bibliography

1. 1947 Industrial Directory of Connecticut.
2. The Hartford Courant, 1904-1949.
3. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Litchfield, 1923-1943.