Atwater Manufacturing Company

Last updated
Atwater Manufacturing Company
SouthingtonCT AtwaterManufacturingCompany2.jpg
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location335 Atwater St.,
Southington, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°34′43″N72°53′54″W / 41.57861°N 72.89833°W / 41.57861; -72.89833 Coordinates: 41°34′43″N72°53′54″W / 41.57861°N 72.89833°W / 41.57861; -72.89833
Area6.5 acres (2.6 ha)
Builtc. 1912
Architectural styleIndustrial vernacular
MPS Historic Industrial Complexes of Southington TR
NRHP reference No. 88002678 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 8, 1988

The Atwater Manufacturing Company is a historic industrial property at 335 Atwater Street in Southington, Connecticut. The company, founded in 1867 and now known as Rex Forge, has long been one of Southington's major industrial employers. The ten extant buildings of the complex date as far back as 1912, and are an important element of the town's industrial past. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [1] [2]

Contents

Description and history

The Atwater Manufacturing Company plant is located in Southington's Plantsville area, on the east side of Atwater Street just north of its junction with Canal Street. The roughly linear complex extends between the Quinnipiac River, which flows southward to its east, and a former railroad right-of-way (now a multiuse trail) that runs between it and Atwater Street. There are ten buildings in all, ranging in age from about 1912 to the 1980s. Most have an exterior finished in corrugated metal, although some of the oldest buildings have painted brick exteriors. Buildings range in height from one to two stories, with the main forge building the largest; it is covered by a gabled roof with a monitor at its upper level. [2]

The site has a long industrial history, having been the location of Southington's first grist mill in 1767. Atwater Manufacturing was organized in 1869, and at first manufactured parts for carriages. In the 20th century it transitioned to the manufacture of parts for automobiles, [2] and now as Rex Forge does custom metal forging.

See also

Related Research Articles

Plantsville, Connecticut United States historic place

Plantsville is a neighborhood in the town of Southington, Hartford County, Connecticut. It is centered at the merger between South Main Street and West Main Street. As of the 2000 Census there were 10,387 people living in the Zip Code Tabulation Area for zip code 06479, which is assigned the postal city name Plantsville. The Zip Code Tabulation Area includes the entire southwestern corner of the town of Southington, including Marion and Milldale. Beginning in 2015 Plantsville was listed as a census-designated place.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford County, Connecticut Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places designations in Hartford County, Connecticut.

Russell Company Upper Mill United States historic place

The Russell Company Upper Mill is an historic structure in Middletown, Connecticut, built in 1836 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building stands at the junction of Russell Street and East Main Street in South Farms. There is a small pond to the south. East Main Street's commercial and industrial development ends there. To the north, small businesses border the street, followed by the buildings of Russell Manufacturing Company, the area's most dominant feature. Russell Street crosses Sumner Brook nearby and ascends to a large residential district to the west. The mill is currently a condo-apartment complex.

Sanseer Mill United States historic place

The Sanseer Mill is a historic 19th-century mill at 282 Main Street Extension in Middletown, Connecticut. It was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Wilcox, Crittenden Mill United States historic place

The Wilcox, Crittenden Mill, also known as Wilcox, Crittenden Mill Historic District, is a 17-acre (6.9 ha) property in Middletown, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It was the location of the Wilcox, Crittenden company, a marine hardware firm. The historic district listing included four contributing buildings and three other contributing sites.

Georgetown Historic District (Georgetown, Connecticut) United States historic place

The Georgetown Historic District is a historic district which covers the central portion the village of Georgetown, Connecticut. The district includes parts of Georgetown in the towns of Redding, Weston, Wilton, and Ridgefield and consists of the former Gilbert & Bennett manufacturing plant, institutional housing built for the plant workers, other private homes, and the Georgetown business district.

Marion, Connecticut United States historic place

Marion is a neighborhood in the town of Southington in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is generally the area in the vicinity of the intersection of Route 322 and Marion Avenue just north of the Cheshire town line.

Dry Dock Complex (Detroit, Michigan) United States historic place

The Dry Dock Complex consists of six interconnected buildings located at 1801–1803 Atwater Street in Detroit, Michigan, as well as the remains of a nearby dry dock at 1900 Atwater Street. The 1801-1803 Atwater complex is also known as the Globe Trading Company Building, and in 2015 was opened by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as the Outdoor Adventure Center.

River Street Historic District (New Haven, Connecticut) United States historic place

The River Street Historic District encompasses a historic industrial area in the Fair Haven section of New Haven, Connecticut. Located south of Church Street between James Street and Blatchley Avenue, the industrial buildings here date to New Haven's growth as a major industrial center between the American Civil War and World War I, with significant emphasis on metalworking businesses. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Southington, Connecticut

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Southington, Connecticut.

Luman Andrews House United States historic place

The Luman Andrews House is a historic house at 469 Andrews Street in Southington, Connecticut. Built in 1745, it is one of the oldest houses in Southington. Its property was also the site of the early manufacture of hydraulic cement. The 1.8-acre (0.73 ha) property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Southington Public Library United States historic place

The Southington Public Library is the public library serving Southington, Connecticut. It is located at 255 Main Street in a modern facility erected in 1974. Its first building, constructed in 1902 and located at 239 Main Street, now houses the Southington Historical Center. That building, a fine local example of Classical Revival architecture, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Blakeslee Forging Company United States historic place

The Blakeslee Forging Company is a historic industrial complex at 100 West Main Street in the Plantsville area of Southington, Connecticut. The surviving six buildings, dating to about 1910 or later, were developed for a company founded in 1877 that specialized in drop forging. The buildings are well preserved structures typifying industrial buildings found in Southington from that era. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Clark Brothers Factory No. 1 United States historic place

The Clark Brothers Factory No. 1 was a historic industrial complex at 1331 South Main Street in the Milldale area of Southington, Connecticut. Developed beginning in the 1850s, it was one of the nation's largest sources of carriage bolts. The complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 consisted of a group of brick buildings dating to 1893 and later. It has since been entirely demolished, and the land stands vacant and overgrown.

Clark Brothers Factory No. 2 United States historic place

The Clark Brothers Factory No. 2, also known as Clark Brothers Bolt Company, is an industrial complex at 409 Canal Street in Southington, Connecticut. Built between 1911 and 1918, the complex is a good example of vernacular industrial architecture of the early 20th century, and was home to one of the community's major industrial employers. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Hurwood Company United States historic place

The Hurwood Company is a historic industrial complex at 379 Summer Street in Southington, Connecticut. Built beginning sometime before 1884, this complex of mainly brick buildings is typical of the town's industrial landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was where solid-headed screwdrivers were first manufactured. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Peck, Stow & Wilcox Factory United States historic place

The Peck, Stow & Wilcox Factory was a historic factory complex at 217 Center Street in Southington, Connecticut. Begun in 1870, it was home to the town's largest industrial employer of the late 19th century. Surviving elements of the factory, dating to 1912, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The complex, last used by Ideal Forging, was demolished in 2015 after it was shuttered in 2003.

Pultz & Walkley Company United States historic place

The Pultz & Walkley Company, also known more recently as The Five Star Company, is a historic industrial complex at 120 West Main Street in the Plantsville village of Southington, Connecticut. Founded in the 1870s, Pultz & Walkley was a major producer of paper bags. The multi-building complex is one of the town's better-preserved industrial properties, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

H. D. Smith Company Building United States historic place

The H. D. Smith Company Building is a historic industrial building at 24 West Street in Plantsville, Connecticut. With a construction history dating to 1882, it is one of the more architecturally interesting examples of Southington's industrial architecture, and was home to H. D. Smith & Co. from construction to the 1920s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

West Street School United States historic place

West Street School is a historic one-room school house at 1432 West Street in Southington, Connecticut. Built about 1760, it is the oldest surviving school building in the town. It served the town as a school until 1946, and is now preserved by the Southington Historical Society. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Gregory E. Andrews (July 1986). "Connecticut Historical Commission Historic Resources Inventory: Rex Forge Division, J.J. Ryan Company / Atwater Manufacturing Company". National Park Service. and Accompanying two photos from 1986