Kraus Corset Factory

Last updated
Kraus Corset Factory
Derby Sterling Rowe Apartment House.jpg
Kraus Corset Factory in 2008
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationRoosevelt Drive and Third Street, Derby, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°19′13″N73°5′29″W / 41.32028°N 73.09139°W / 41.32028; -73.09139
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1879 (1879)
NRHP reference No. 87000128 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 12, 1987

The Kraus Corset Factory is a historic industrial property at 33 Roosevelt Drive in Derby, Connecticut, United States. The oldest portion of the large brick building, built in 1879, faces Third Street, while a c. 1910 addition extends along Roosevelt Drive. It is the only major building to survive from Derby's period of corset manufacturing. It was built by Sidney Downs, one of Derby's leading businessmen of the period. [2] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 1987. [1] It has been converted into apartments.

Contents

Description and history

The Kraus Corset Factory is located adjacent to downtown Derby, extending mainly along Roosevelt Drive (Connecticut Route 34) northwest of Third Street. The factory is composed of two structures, the main 1879 block, and the c. 1910 addition. The main block is built of brick and is three stories in height, with nine bays facing Third Street and ten facing Roosevelt. The windows are set in segmented-arch openings, with stone sills. Shed-roof dormers project from the roof faces. The addition is a wood-frame structure, also three stories in height, but with a fully-exposed basement level facing the street. [2]

The factory's main block was built in 1879 by Sidney Downs, a prominent local businessman who had previously engaged in other corset-making partnerships. He leased this factory to Leopold Kraus whose firm employed about a quarter of Derby's corsetmakers. This business was only successful into the early 1890s, and had been swallowed by competition by 1896. The site next housed businesses engaged in a variety of metalworking pursuits related to corsetry, and in 1907 it was acquired by Sterling Pin. Pinmaking was another major business in Derby, and Sterling expanded the plant to manufacture pins, hairpins, clasps and eyes, and other small wire-based products. It remained in business at this site into the 1970s. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derby, Connecticut</span> City in Connecticut, United States

Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, approximately 8 miles (13 km) west-northwest of New Haven. It is located in southwest Connecticut at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers. It shares borders with the cities of Ansonia to the north and Shelton to the southwest, and the towns of Orange to the south, Seymour to the northwest, and Woodbridge to the east. The city is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The population was 12,325 at the 2020 census. It is the smallest city in Connecticut by area, at 5.3 square miles (14 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willimantic Footbridge</span> United States historic place

The Willimantic Footbridge is a pedestrian bridge in the Willimantic section of Windham, Connecticut. Built in 1906, it extends from Main Street southward, across Riverside Drive, railroad tracks, and the Willimantic River, connecting downtown Willimantic to the residential area south of the river. It is one of a small number of pedestrian bridges built in the early 20th century to survive in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putnam station</span> United States historic place

Putnam station is a former train station in Putnam, Connecticut. Built in 1907, it is a reminder of the importance of the railroad in the development of Putnam as a city, and is an architecturally distinctive example of Mediterranean-influenced design. The building, now in other commercial uses, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 as Putnam Railroad Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baystate Corset Block</span> United States historic place

The Baystate Corset Block is a historic commercial block at 395–405 Dwight St. and 99 Taylor Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Built in 1874 and twice enlarged, it was from 1888 to 1920 home of the Baystate Corset Company, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of corsets. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Block (Reading, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Block is an historic commercial block in Reading, Massachusetts. This three story brick building is distinctive in the town for its Renaissance Revival styling. It was built in 1894 by the local Reading Masonic Temple Corporation, and housed the local Masonic lodge on the third floor. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Worcester Diner</span> United States historic place

The Miss Worcester Diner or Worcester Lunch Car # 812 is a historic diner at 302 Southbridge Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1948 by Worcester Lunch Car Company and is located across the street from the company's Worcester factory. While independently owned and operated, it was used by the Lunch Car Company as a "showroom" diner, and a testbed for new features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southbridge-Sargent Manufacturing District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Southbridge-Sargent Manufacturing District encompasses a collection of three 19th-century factory buildings near a historically important railroad junction in southern Worcester, Massachusetts. They were built near the intersection of Sargent and Gold Streets, just south of Southbridge Street. The location is close to a junction of three major railroads: the Boston and Albany, the Norwich and Worcester, and the New York, New Haven, and Hartford. The area was once a major industrial part of the city, but has lost many of its historic factory buildings in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Corset Company Factory</span> United States historic place

The Worcester Corset Company Factory is an historic factory building at 30 Wyman Street in Worcester, Massachusetts in the Main South neighborhood. The oldest part of the factory was built in 1895, with expansion of the facilities taking place up to 1909. The buildings were designed by Arthur F. Gray for the Worcester Corset Company, whose origins date to an 1861 business by David Hale Fanning making hoops for skirts, but shifted to manufacturing corsets after fashions changed. Fanning's business was immensely successful, and he became one of Worcester's larger employers. At one point it employed over 2000 women. After the Corset Company folded in 1940, the facility was used to manufacture military-style boots. The factory is now an apartment complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashworth and Jones Factory</span> United States historic place

The Ashworth and Jones Factory is a historic building at 1511 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is one of the architecturally finest mid 19th century factory buildings in the city. Built in 1870 and repeatedly enlarged, most of its sections retain high quality brickwork and mid-19th century Victorian styling. The factory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The complex has been converted into condominium residences known as Kettle Brook Lofts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babcock Block</span> United States historic place

The Babcock Block is a historic commercial building at 596 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in the 1860s, it is a rare example of granite construction in the period. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junction Shop and Hermon Street District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Junction Shop and Hermon Street District is a historic district comprising 28 industrial properties on Jackson, Hermon, and Beacon Streets on the south side of Worcester, Massachusetts. It is a remnant of a once larger 19th and early 20th century manufacturing district just west of the railway junction between the Boston and Maine Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury Factory Building</span> United States historic place

There are two historic Salisbury Factory Buildings in Worcester, Massachusetts. The first of these, at 25 Union Street, was built in 1879, and is a five-story brick building with modest Victorian Gothic trim. The second, at 49-51 Union Street, was built in 1882, is a three-story brick building designed by local architect Stephen Earle. These two buildings are the only ones that survive of a series of factory buildings built by Stephen Salisbury II and Stephen Salisbury III in the Lincoln Square area north of Worcester's downtown. The Salisburys rented space out to small manufacturers in these buildings, introducing a trend that dominated the industrial development of the city. Most of their buildings were demolished during redevelopment of the area in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll Building (Norwich, Connecticut)</span> United States historic place

The Carroll Building in Norwich, Connecticut, also known as the Flat Iron Building, was built in 1887. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. It is included in the Downtown Norwich Historic District, which is also listed on the NRHP. Originally used as offices and retail stores, the building is now currently used primarily as an apartment building. The Carroll Building is located on a triangular tract created by the intersection of Main and Water Streets. The building is highly visible from Washington Square and is one of the most noticeable aspects of the downtown streetscape. The building is currently vacant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert C. Nash</span> American architect (1825 - 1890)

Albert C. Nash (1825-1890) was an American architect best known for his work in Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strouse, Adler Company Corset Factory</span> United States historic place

The Strouse, Adler Company Corset Factory is a historic factory complex at 78-84 Olive Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Developed between 1876 and 1923, it was the largest and oldest of the city's several corset manufacturers, and remained in continuous operation for that purpose until 1998. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It has since been converted into residential use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Mason Stone</span> American architect (1803–1882)

Sidney Mason Stone was a prominent Connecticut architect and builder known for designs of churches, institutional buildings and residences. His creations incorporated Greek Revival, Romanesque, Gothic, Italianate and other styles popular in the 19th century. He served in several civic capacities in the city of New Haven and statewide and as mentor to Yale students prior to the establishment of that university's School of Architecture. He was the father of Harriet Mulford Stone, better known to readers of children's literature as Margaret Sidney, creator of the Five Little Peppers series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John I. Howe House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The John I. Howe House is a historic house at 213 Caroline Street in Derby, Connecticut. Built in 1845, it is a distinctive example of Greek Revival architecture executed in granite, built for John Ireland Howe of the Howe Pin Company. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Armstrong and Company Carriage Factory</span> United States historic place

The M. Armstrong and Company Carriage Factory is a historic carriage factory building at 433 Chapel St. in New Haven, Connecticut. Built in 1882, it is one of a small number of surviving 19th-century carriage factories in a city that once had more than 50 such businesses. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Haven Clock Company Factory</span> United States historic place

The New Haven Clock Company Factory is a historic industrial complex at 133 Hamilton Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Developed between 1866 and 1937, it consists of ten interconnected brick buildings that are the surviving elements of a major clock-making business that operated here until 1956. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. Edwards Ficken</span> American architect (1852–1929)

H. Edwards Ficken (1852-1929) was an English American architect in practice in New York City.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Kraus Corset Factory". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-01-22.