Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Bridgeport Organ, Cornwall Patterson, Bostwick Button, Bridgeport Silk c.1880-1889
• Brink and Cotton Mfg. c.1945
• Casco Products Corp. c.1939
• Lorraine Metal Mfg. Co. c.1928
• Lorraine Novelty Mfg. Co. c.1939
• United Pattern and Model Co. c.1945

Use (Historic)

• Consumer Products, Small Appliances
• Electrical Equipment
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Firearms, Weapons, Explosives

Largest Documented Workforce

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Historic Narrative

Casco Products: munitions parts/electrical appliances Summary Statement of Significance (NRHD nomination) The buildings in the Railroad Avenue Industrial District play an important role in documenting Bridgeport's heritage. The historical development of Bridgeport, the leading manufacturing city in Connecticut in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is illustrated by factories associated with important Bridgeport companies and archetypal Bridgeport products, including primary metals, corsets, organs, typewriters, and electrical devices (Criterion A). The district represents the most cohesive cluster of historic industrial sites remaining in Bridgeport . Among the major Bridgeport manufacturers associated with these factories are Bridgeport Organ, Wilmot and Hobbs, American Graphaphone, Raybestos, Casco Manufacturing, Bryant Electric, and Harvey Hubbell, Inc. The district's buildings are also significant because they illustrate the typical factory architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with examples of somewhat stylish Victorian factories, relatively plain c.1900 brick-pier mills, reinforced concrete buildings, and even c.1930 structural steel/glass curtain wall construction (Criterion C).

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly five (5) blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1880, c.1900, c.1925, c.1930

Architect

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Builder

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Building Type

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Architectural Description

BRIDGEPORT ORGAN COMPANY, 62-80 Cherry Street. Built c.1880, this large complex was by 1889 occupied by nine other tenants besides the organ company. By 1898 the whole complex had been taken over by American Graphaphone. See NRHD nomination for description of buildings: Built c.1880, this large complex was by 1889 occupied by nine other tenants besides the organ company. By 1898 the whole complex had been taken over by American Graphaphone. The chief components are: 1. 62 Cherry Street, a three-story brick-pier factory raised c.1900 from its original two-story height. Shallow-pitch gable roof. Segmental-arched windows with small-pane sash. Three-story stair tower, southeast corner. Early tenants include Bostwick Button Company and Steel Cutting Company, manufacturers of steel shanks. 1A. The above building continues through to Railroad Avenue, joining the 1916 concrete factory of American Graphaphone. Early tenants of this section include Bridgeport Silk and Cornwall and Patterson, maker of organ and piano hardware items. 2. A three-story steel-framed building, c.1925, built onto the c.1900 one and two-story brick power house which served the complex. 3. A large two-and-one-half story c.1880 double-hip-roof structure of brick-pier construction, the original home of Bridgeport Organ. Smallpane metal sash in segmental-arched openings. Wide corbelled cornice. Four brick-faced gable-roofed dormers on the Cherry Street elevation, with other all-frame dormers along the sides. To the east, connecting it with #1, is a three-story (top story added) infill which features an arcade of two-story round-arched openings, above which is patterned brickwork and a corbelled cornice. Other early tenants include Chadwick Spool Cotton and L.L. Loomer Corsets. Around 1930 two bays were added to the west elevation by Casco: the steel-framed addition has glass curtain walls and a c.1930 glass-walled extension. 3A. The above building continues through to Railroad Avenue, where a full : third story has been added, as well as three stories of the same glass and-steel addition on Hancock Avenue. Early occupants other than the organ company include Connecticut Box Company, Meteor Despatch (cash carriers), and the Cylindrograph Company (makers of embroiderers).

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Hip Minor

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

n/a

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

three parcels on the east side of Hancock Avenue between Railroad Avenue and Cherry Street.
Located in the Railroad Avenue Industrial Historic District.

Adjacent To

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Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 19/ 302/ 2 / Link →
• 19/ 302/ 7 / Link →
• 20/ 302/ 3 / Link →

Acreage

0.42; 0.30; 0.69

Use (Present)

• Other: Residential rehab begun 2017; Cherry Street Lofts Phase I affordable apartments (437 Howard Avenue) and Great Oaks Charter School complete 2020; Phase 2 in process 2020; DECD awarded $3.77 million in Brownfields for clean-up of the Phase III parcel 12/2020.

Form Completed By

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Date

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Bibliography

1. Clouette, Bruce and Matthew Roth, Patricia Devoe. 1985 Railroad Avenue Industrial Historic District National Register Nomination No. 85002697. National Park Service.