Vacant Former Women's Undergarment Factory in CT

Strouse, Adler Company Corset Factory, New Haven Connecticut

Date added: June 10, 2024 Categories:

Factory C, Factory H (left to right), Looking Northeast at South Elevation (2001)

The Strouse, Adler Company Corset Factory was the headquarters and manufacturing center of Strouse, Adler and Company, a pioneer in the corset industry in Connecticut. New Haven was regarded as the corset capital of the world and this factory was the oldest and largest for that purpose in the city. The company's "C/B a la Spirite" and "Watchspring" corsets were marketed throughout the world and were regarded as being superb in quality, yet affordable to the middle class. Strouse, Adler's use of innovative materials and ingenious designs propelled the company to the top of their industry. The factory building embodies the distinctive characteristics of mid-nineteenth and early twentieth-century mill architecture and stands virtually unaltered. Comparison of the older sections of the buildings with the newer exemplifies the effects of standardization of industrial architecture.

New Haven's strategic location on the Long Island Sound, situated en route from New York to Boston, made the city a likely hub to develop as an industrial center. As the port of New Haven reached its potential in the early 19^th Century, and a network of roads became established, New Haven flourished as an important manufacturing and commercial center. In the mid to late 19^th century, New Haven was nationally recognized for its production of carriages, clocks, cigars, pianos, and corsets.

The Strouse, Adler factory is situated between New Haven's downtown center and the Wooster Square neighborhood. The neighborhood was initially developed in the 1820s in response to a real estate boom that ensued during the planning and construction of the nearby Farmington Canal. The abrupt failure of that canal halted development, but this was temporary. In 1839, a railroad was built along the canal path and launched an industrial explosion. That rail line initially connected New Haven to Hartford, but by 1848, the line was extended to New York and was operated by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. This area of the city, historically known as the New Township, became the manufacturing center of New Haven. Brewster's Carriage factory, the New Haven Clock Company, Candee Rubber Boot Company, and a number of smaller manufacturers producing such items as hardware and furniture all settled along the rail corridor in the mid-19^th Century. The factory managers typically lived around nearby Wooster Square. The artisans, tradesmen, and laborers were quartered on the smaller streets in modest or rented houses.

In the decades following the Civil War, the New Township's older factories became outdated, prompting many of the companies to relocate. Conditions in the neighborhood began to worsen as a flood of Italian immigrants settled in the area overcrowding the already brimming tenement buildings. Around 1890, many of the factory owners and the upper ranks of the middle class abruptly fled, and the New Township became New Haven's Little Italy.

A review of census data provides important insight into New Haven's manufacturing history. New Haven County witnessed a tremendous boom in manufacturing between the period of 1880 to 1900 with the number of manufacturing establishments doubling during that period. A sharp decline then followed in the decades between 1900 and 1920 and then from 1920 to 1940. This represents the transition from small handicraft manufacturing to mass production for national markets that occurred in manufacturing and led to the formation of large industrial complexes.

In 1861, two New Haven bankers, McAllister and Smith, established the firm of J.H. Smith & Company, the first corset manufacturing factory in the country. This firm is a direct ancestor of the Strouse, Adler Company. Production began in one room of a building at the corner of State and Chapel Streets in New Haven. After a year in business, J.H. Smith & Company was purchased by local dry goods merchant, Isaac Strouse. At the time of the purchase, Strouse offered German native, Max Adler, a young and promising dry goods retailer, a partnership opportunity in Strouse's new venture. New Haven resident Joseph Mayer also had significant financial stakes in the young company. The company was renamed Mayer, Strouse and Company and the firm continued to operate under that name until 1899 when the company was reorganized and renamed Strouse, Adler Company. With that transition, Isaac M. Ullman, son-in-law of Max Adler, became a partner. Ullman enjoyed a long career with the company until his death in 1930. The company remained a partnership until the incorporation of The Strouse, Adler Company in 1927.

Larger quarters were required just after Strouse's purchase and in 1867, the firm moved to a 3 ½ story building located at Oak and West Streets to accommodate their workforce which had grown to 200. In 1876, as growth continued, the business was moved to the present building which had previously housed the Winchester Shirt factory. With nearly 1,500 employees, Mayer, Strouse and Company had become the largest employer of its kind in the City of New Haven. In the decades that followed, several additions were made to the factory building until the building occupied all available land.

Review of historic maps and atlases from 1880 to 1973 provides evidence of the evolution and expansion of the factory building. Initially, the factory building was approximately half the size of the current structure and was located on the western part of the site with unrelated dwellings and other buildings on the eastern half of the site. In the early 1900s, those unrelated buildings were demolished and substantial additions were made to the factory building in their place. The 1880 map documents the presence of Factory A, Wing A, Building B, Factory C, and Building D. In the first decade of the twentieth century, Factory A was extended to Olive Street and Addition A fronting Olive Street were erected. Between 1911 and 1923 the Boiler House and Factory H were constructed. The attached sketch plan depicts the dates of each section.

Following is a listing of the various tasks that occurred in each section of the complex:

Wing A - stockroom, folding, storage and finishing, laundry
Factory A - cutting, ironing, drying, and paper box manufacturing
Building B - storage, packing
Factory C - ironing, steel finishing, boning corsets, storage
Building D - framing and japaning
Addition A - cutting, paper box manufacturing, stock room and laundry
Factory H - warehouse

The actual manufacturing of corsets occurred primarily in Factory A and Factory C. Paper box manufacturing occurred in sections of Factory A and in Addition A. Factory H was the primary warehouse for the complex. The remaining buildings housed miscellaneous functions such as laundry, packing, and folding.

In the second decade of the twentieth century, as the demand for traditional corsets declined, Strouse, Adler successfully evolved their products to meet the changing fashion needs of women throughout the world. They expanded their product line to include all women's foundation garments. As new and revolutionary fabrics were introduced, the company was often the first to incorporate those fabrics in their garments and thus Strouse, Adler remained a leader in their industry.

Strouse, Adler's sales remained strong into the last quarter of the 20^th Century. In 1988, the company was acquired by the Howell Resource Group, a private investment group. At the time of the takeover, Howell sought to revitalize Strouse, Adler's traditional garments, with a more contemporary image. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the number of employees working at the New Haven factory had dropped to less than 150 as production moved offshore in Colombia, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. A growing trend in body-shaping garments in the early 1990s bolstered the company's sales by 51% in that category over a 1½ year period. In April 1994, the Aristotle Corporation purchased Strouse, Adler for an undisclosed sum. With wholesale revenue reported to be $30 million in 1997, Strouse, Adler was considered prime for takeover. In 1998 Sara Lee acquired Strouse, Adler, and the company now operates under the new name Specialty Intimates, Inc., an independent unit of Sara Lee Intimates. The Strouse, Adler factory closed with that takeover and has since remained vacant.

Strouse, Adler and Company was a pioneer in the corset industry in Connecticut and was internationally known for the quality and affordability of their foundation garments.

More than 4,000 years ago, Cretan women were known to wear supports to firm and narrow their waists. The word "corset" is believed to date back to Catherine DeMedici, who decreed a 13" waist and used the word "corps" to describe a steel device for slimming the waist. Fashions during much of the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries were so confining that dressing came a formidable task requiring one or more strong maids to manage the lacing of the corsets. Corsets during those centuries were of intricate and complex construction, with emphasis on stiff and unyielding materials, generously reinforced with metal, leather, bone, wood and for the most wealthy, ivory. These garments were expertly crafted and detailed with costly fabrics and decoration and for this reason were generally worn only by the wealthiest women. Corsets compressed a women's figure, thereby shifting the natural positioning of bones and organs. Shortness of breath was the most common, though perhaps least detrimental, side effect.

During much of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Connecticut manufactured the majority of the corsets produced in the United States with Bridgeport and New Haven leading the State in production. In 1879, an article in New Haven's newspaper, The Register noted, "There is no city in the country where the manufacture of corsets is carried on so successfully or so extensively as in New Haven. Eight firms are engaged in the manufacture at the present time, employing at least 3,000 people. At the turn of the century, there were 21 corset manufacturers in the state. In New Haven, the leading corset manufacturer was Strouse, Adler and Company, employing half of the city's corset makers. The company was one of the largest industries in the City of New Haven, employing upward of 1,500 city residents. Strouse, Adler was proclaimed to be the oldest and one of the largest corset manufacturers in the country.

In the late 1850s, achieving the hourglass figure was the ideal. A tiny waist was desired, and the corset made that look possible. Yet at that time, corsets were produced almost exclusively in France and England and were afforded only by the wealthy. In 1861, two New Haven bankers, McAllister and Smith, established the firm of J.H. Smith & Company, the first corset manufacturing factory in the country. That firm was purchased in 1862 by Isaac Strouse. By the late 1870s, the company was renamed Mayer, Strouse and Company, a name that continued until the turn of the century.

Isaac Strouse was born in Bavaria, Germany in 1829 and emigrated to America in 1846, settling in New Haven the following year. During his early years in New Haven, Strouse was employed as a clothier and operator in dry goods, specializing in the manufacture of ladies' cloaks. Strouse operated a dry goods store on Chapel Street and in 1862 brought on Max Adler to manage that store. With Strouse's purchase of the J.H. Smith & Co. corset business, he asked Adler to join as a partner in the new venture.

Max Adler steadily assumed greater responsibilities in the day-to-day operations and strove to improve standards and manufacturing skills. Adler's leadership was particularly significant during the last two decades of the nineteenth century when the company was known as Mayer, Strouse and Company. The success of the company was often attributed to Adler's ambition to set the industry standard.

Adler was born in 1840 in Berkunstadt, Bavaria, Germany. He was the son of Sigismund Adler, a proprietor of a weaving establishment in Bavaria who moved to New York in 1841 and two years later relocated to New Haven to work in the manufacture of umbrellas. At the age of thirteen, Adler became "cash boy" in the store of Julius Waterman on Chapel Street and rose to the positions of cashier, bookkeeper, and finally, manager. In 1858 Adler managed a dry goods store in New York City for two years at which point he returned to New Haven. Max Adler was a well-known and highly influential citizen of New Haven. Aside from his widespread recognition within the corset industry, Adler had financial interests in a number of local mining companies and served on the board of directors of several of the city's leading corporations and banks, and was an active leader of the Chamber of Commerce. He was widely regarded as a leader in New Haven civic and cultural affairs. As a member and trustee of the Congregation Mishkan Israel synagogue, Adler was also influential within the Jewish community, promoting the integration and advancement of Jews in the City of New Haven.

Max Adler resided in a home at 311 Greene Street in nearby Wooster Square. That house, constructed in 1879, was an architecturally sophisticated composition that bridged the earlier Stick Style with the newly fashionable Queen Anne. Interior features and finishes were equally lavish with ebonized overmantels with tiles by John Moyr Smith, one of the most popular artists of the Victorian era.

Isaac M. Ullman, son-in-law of Max Adler, became a partner in the company in 1899. Ullman rose through the ranks of the company from "office boy", to superintendent, and finally partner. When the company was incorporated in 1927, Ullman was elected as the first President, a position he retained until his death in 1930. Like his father-in-law, Ullman became an active leader in New Haven's political and social affairs, and was renowned in the corset industry, serving as the first president of the Corset and Brassiere Association of America. Ullman, a close friend of President William Howard Taft, was reported at the time of his death to have "influenced to a greater extent than any other man the political and civic affairs of New Haven … By sheer force of character and unselfish devotion to the city of his birth, he achieved great power and he used it in the interest of the city and the people who lived in it" Ullman brought a number of family members into leadership positions in the company, including his brothers, Louis and Joseph, and Joseph's son Maurice.

Mayer, Strouse and Company was recognized throughout the city as an employer that generously aided and established immigrant workers. In the mid 19^th Century, two main streams of European immigrants settled in New Haven: one from Ireland, the other from Germany. These groups continued to settle in New Haven until the 1880s when two new waves of immigrants flowed into New Haven: Italians and Eastern European Jews. By 1900, approximately one-third of New Haven County's population was foreign-born. The earliest German immigrants to occupy New Haven were the Bavarian Jews who came about 1840. This group contributed greatly to the economic, political and cultural life of New Haven. Max Adler was among this group. The Germans and Jews were occupied in nearly all trades and occupations. They were highly skilled and were widely employed in factories throughout New Haven. The Jewish population lived near the center of the city in a close community along Oak Street. Many Jewish women and girls worked at Mayer, Strouse, and Company.

Corsets were only partially manufactured in the Mayer, Strouse and Company factory. As was customary during that period, much of the skilled work was accomplished by immigrant women who worked in their homes, sewing on machines that were sold to them by the company. The work was delivered to the homes and picked up from as many as 300 homes a day by company-owned wagons. It was not uncommon for the partners to personally make deliveries so as to maintain frequent contact with the employees.

It was often necessary for the company to manufacture machines to meet their specialized requirements. At first only single needle machines were available. Around 1890 multiple needle machines were developed through the cooperation of the company machinists working with Singer. Singer was reported to include Mayer, Strouse and Company as one of its best customers.

Corsets manufactured during the early period of the company's history were rigidly shaped and were tightly laced up the back. A variety of lavish fabrics were used for corsets including: jeans, coutils, silks, cotton batistes, and Alexandria Cloth. Some of the materials were purchased from mills in the South and Northeast in the gray or unbleached state and shipped to various bleacheries for finishing and dyeing. The Strouse, Adler corsets were sewed, the first of its kind, since the imports at that time were entirely woven. The quality of a corset was judged by its weight and the number of whalebones it contained (the greater the number being more desirable). It was during this early period that the company's corsets bore the trademark "C/B a la Spirite - for the Woman of Fashion." According to company papers, the "C" stood for the Roman numeral 100 and the "B" for bones; hence the "C/B" corset featured 100 bones."

Corsets were at their height of popularity from the 1870s to 1890s. New Haven had become the largest producer of corsets in the United States and was home to nine corset manufacturing firms, employing over 3,000 workers. The mass production of corsets had made the garments affordable to the middle classes for the first time, thus heightening demand. Despite the mass production, the finest quality corsets retained hand-sewn finishing details and so the industry retained a large proportion of highly skilled workers.

During this same period, there was, however, growing concern from the medical profession about the detrimental health effects of tightly constraining the figure. In 1881 the Rational Dress Society was founded in London and collaborated with the National Health society to devise improved stays and 'healthier' garments.

In response to the call for reform, Mayer, Strouse and Company led the industry in searching for a new material for stays that would offer control with added comfort. In the early 1880s, Mayer, Strouse and Company began importing Sheffield strip steel to be used for boning in lieu of whalebone, a change that spurred great interest throughout the industry. The company developed special machinery to anneal, temper, and cut the steel into correct lengths. The steel was then covered with heavy paper and the ends were capped with rounded metal tips.

During the 1880s, Mayer, Strouse and Company introduced its famous "Watchspring" boning, which was made with sliding detachable springs and was guaranteed never to break. The Watchspring was widely advertised as being "superior to garments made with whalebone, horn, reed, corn, or any component of Mexican grass." The Watchspring proved so popular, that that corset was awarded the Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition of 1889 and at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the firm was renamed Strouse, Adler and Company. Under the new name, the company led a revolution in corset design with the introduction of straight front, front-laced corsets. This change was monumental and transformed women's silhouettes from the "hourglass" figure to the "kangaroo" shape with full bust, straight front, and distended hips. Women were now capable of lacing their own corset with ease now that the lacing had moved to the front of the garment.

World War I brought a revolution in women's dress and gone were the "hourglass" and "kangaroo" figures. Boyish figures were in vogue with flattened chests and slim hips. This silhouette was achieved through a revolutionary material called "Lastex." The introduction of Lastex was one of the most important advances in foundation garment fabrics. Lastex was a rubber thread that was lightweight and had two-way stretch capabilities. This technological breakthrough drove Strouse, Adler to create an entirely new concept in lightweight foundation garments. The newly created line was designated the "Smoothie" line, evoking the light and sheer attributes of Lastex.

During World War II, the company redirected its production to assist in the war effort. According to a government survey of manufacturing facilities during the war, among the products Strouse, Adler produced were: bomb parachutes, bandoliers, mittens for ski troops, sleeves for dropping flares, mattresses, pillowcases, and mine covers. While the manufacture of corsets was greatly reduced, the company was one of the largest suppliers of foundation apparel for the military.

As material shortages eased following the war, Strouse, Adler began to use nylon in their garments, a synthetic fiber of remarkable strength and elasticity. With its silky character, nylon could be woven into jacquard strips, overall jacquards, and brocades. Nylon was also lightweight, long-wearing, and quick-drying. This new material offered styling opportunities never before seen in the industry.

It was not uncommon for early corset manufacturers to also make their own boxes for shipping finished garments and Strouse, Adler was no exception. Strouse, Adler began designing and manufacturing paper boxes in 1880. In the early 20^th Century, the company's boxes were manufactured primarily for their use with few outside accounts. By the mid-20^th Century, the box division had become quite lucrative and boxes were manufactured primarily for outside accounts. Strouse, Adler specialized in "set-up" boxes, meaning non-collapsible boxes with separate lids. Boxes could be custom-ordered in specific sizes and could be used for any retail use.

Growing demand for lighter, durable, and gently controlling foundations led to the introduction of "Orlon" and "Dacron" in corsets. In the late 1950s, another revolution came about with duPont's introduction of "Fiber K", later known as Lycra. Garments manufactured in Lycra required half the fabric of their Lastex counterpart to achieve the same support. Strouse, Adler devoted considerable resources to designing foundations made of Lycra elastics. Lycra is an elastic fiber made from a polyurethane base containing no rubber, yet with all the desirable qualities of rubber. Foundation garments were one-third lighter than those made with conventional elastics. Other qualities included improved sheerness, softness, and durability. On the company's 100^th birthday in 1961, Strouse, Adler proudly introduced a comprehensive line made with Lycra.

Strouse, Adler distributed their corsets throughout the world. The company maintained a showroom on Fifth Avenue in New York. The company had an impressive sales force that maintained relationships with department stores and specialty shops throughout the United States and Canada, ensuring that the Strouse, Adler displays featured the latest products.

Strouse, Adler's major competitors were Berber Bros. of New Haven, Warner Bros. of Bridgeport, and R & G Corset Company in Norwalk. Warner Bros. was perhaps the most comparable to Strouse, Adler in terms of scale of production. Warner Bros. moved to the Bridgeport site (325 Lafayette Street) in 1876, the same year that Strouse, Adler moved to the Olive Street site. Bridgeport, like New Haven, offered rail and water transportation facilities and was close to the New York market. It also boasted a high percentage of highly skilled workers.

Warner Bros. was well known for developing corset stays from tempered steel and cactus fiber to replace whalebone. In 1887, the firm employed about 1,200 employees. Following an expansion between 1910-12, the number of employees rose to 3,000. Like Strouse, Adler, Warner Bros. also manufactured paper boxes at their facility.

In terms of production, around 1910, Warner Bros. employed approximately 3,000 workers, who produced 20,000 corsets per day. During that same period, Strouse, Adler employed just over 2,000 workers and produced 12,000 corsets per day. While Warner Bros. production was nearly double that of Strouse, Adler, the quality of their product did not match that of Strouse, Adler. Strouse, Adler was renowned for the quality and detail of their corsets.

The R & G Corset Co. in South Norwalk established operation at 21 Ann Street with the construction of two buildings in 1888. Like the other corset manufacturers, R & G also produced paper boxes. While production statistics are not available for R & G Corset Co., the 1920s, the firm employed 600 workers at their mill, substantially fewer than Warner Bros. or Strouse, Adler.

When the Strouse, Adler Company (then Mayer, Strouse) moved to the current building in 1876, the complex was approximately half the size of the current facility. As was typical of 19^th century industrial complexes, as the business flourished, the company expanded on the land that was available. In this case, expansion occurred to the east toward Olive Street. The two periods of expansion occurred between 1901 - 1911 and 1911 - 1923.

In terms of scale and massing, the additions followed the 4-story framework and general proportions established on the earliest build. The two most significant departures from the original sections are the fenestration and the interior structural system of the later additions.

In the pre-1880 sections, the fenestration is organized in single bays, whereas the later additions contain windows that are paired or grouped in three. This follows the trend in industrial architecture at the turn of the century to allow for a maximum of natural light.

In the interior, the earliest period of construction incorporates cast iron columns with exposed joist ceilings. The second and third-period additions contain chamfered wood columns with exposed board ceilings with exposed beams. While cast iron allowed for narrower columns, wood was considerably stronger and thus the span between the wood columns could be much greater. This greater span was quite desirable for industrial operations. In the earlier western section of Factory A, there are two rows of cast iron columns, while in the later section, only one row of wood columns was required. The ceilings in the two later phases of construction are exposed boards, rather than open joists. Fire insurance companies had made this a requirement by the turn of the twentieth century.

Another change brought on by the standardization of industrial architecture and the evolution of fire codes is in the construction of the stairs. The stair in the earliest section is of wood construction and is not enclosed, whereas the later construction features a metal stair in a tower.

Throughout the complex, the interiors are open in plan with no significant partitioning as was common in factory construction. The interior finishes are utilitarian in character with plaster and painted brick walls and wood floors.

Few changes have occurred to the site over the years. There was a small building that was constructed in the courtyard between 1888 and 1897 that was used strictly for the Japaning of whalebones. That building was demolished c. 1980 and represents the only demolition to have occurred on the site. Other changes that have occurred include the replacement of some original windows with modern aluminum units.

Competing firms, Warner Bros. and the R & G Corset Co., experienced significant growth, which prompted major expansions to their facilities during the 1880s and again in the second decade of the 20^th Century. Those periods of success were shared by Strouse Adler, thus demonstrating the impact of the demand for the corset on the Connecticut corset manufacturers.

Site Description

The Strouse, Adler Company Corset Factory is situated on a relatively flat site at the southwest corner of Olive and Court Streets in the City of New Haven. Immediately surrounding the site is unrelated industrial and commercial development that sprung up with the completion of the nearby rail line that was laid in the mid-19^th Century linking New York to Hartford. The Strouse, Adler factory is an interconnected complex that was erected in three major stages. The earliest sections of the building complex feature details representative of the Italianate style, while the later builds assume a Classical Revival form. In general, the street facades are treated with more sophisticated design elements, while the secondary elevations are more utilitarian in character. A number of window types are represented, with some consistency in configuration within the three periods of development. The main entrance to the complex is located on the Olive Street facade. As a whole, the building demonstrates the evolution of industrial design from the mid 19^th to the early 20^th Century.

The overall complex is four stories in height with flat roofs and is constructed of a common bond red brick. An irregularly shaped center courtyard is formed by the positioning of the primary buildings around the site's perimeter. Two smaller gable roofed buildings are located within the courtyard, one of which was used for manufacturing, and the other being the main boiler house. Access to the courtyard is provided by a vehicular entrance off of Olive Street.

The first map to depict the site was published in 1880 and documents the presence of Factory A, Wing A, Building B, Factory C, and Building D (the terms referencing the various sections of the building were assigned by the Sanborn Map Company and appeared consistently on Sanborn atlases from 1880 through 1973). In the first decade of the twentieth century, Factory A was extended to Olive Street and Addition A fronting Olive Street was erected. Between 1911 and 1923 the Boiler House and Factory H were constructed. The sketch plan below depicts the dates of each section and the various functions that occurred in each section of the building.

Site Plan

Pre-1880 Construction (Wing A, Factory A (western section), Building B, Factory C, Building D)

The earliest buildings of the complex are located on the western half of the site. In 1876 Strouse, Adler (then Mayer, Strouse) moved to the complex which had previously housed a shirt factory. The first Sanborn map to document the site was published in 1880, immediately following Strouse, Adler's occupation. Based on style and construction details, it would appear that the earliest sections likely date to c. 1860. The earliest sections of the building contain details and characteristics consistent with the Italianate style such as bracketed and corbelled cornices, flat stone lintels and sills, and double-leaf doors with transoms.

Wing A, Factory A (western section), Building B, and Factory C are rectangular shaped 4-story brick buildings with flat roofs.

Originally, the complex was oriented north toward Court Street, with the Court Street elevation of Wing A serving as the primary elevation. The original main entrance survives and is centered on the 7-bay Court Street facade of Wing A. A set of cast stone steps leads to the double-leaf six-light wood doors with transom. The cornice is corbelled brick on the north facade of Wing A. The remainder of Wing A, the western half of Factory A, and Building B are treated with a simple terra cotta cap. Factory C at the south end of the complex contains a bracketed wood cornice on the west and south facades, with a corbelled cornice on the north facade.

A variety of window types are represented on Wing A, Factory A (western section), Building B, and Factory C: 12/12 wood double-hung, 6/6 wood double-hung, 4/4 wood double-hung, 1/1 wood double-hung, and some modern aluminum single-light units with a lower pivot. The windows throughout these sections feature a combination of steel lintels with bluestone sills and brownstone lintels and sills. The windows on these sections are organized in single bays, instead of paired and grouped sets found elsewhere in the factory.

Interior structural details suggest that Wing A, Factory A, Building B and Factory C were likely built around the same time, though not necessarily in a single campaign. The floors are wood throughout and the walls are painted brick and plaster. There is no significant partitioning and the floors are wide open in plan. Fluted cast iron columns with modest flared capitals serve as the interior structural system with exposed joist ceilings. A single stair in Wing A with simple wood treads and risers and plaster walls provides access from floor to floor.

Building D, which is located within the courtyard, is a 2-story, 6-bay, gable roof brick building with a corbelled cornice. The entrance is provided by a double-leaf wood half-glazed door. The building is lit with 12/12 wood double-hung windows. The interior of Building D also contains the cast iron columns with exposed joist ceilings.

Construction between 1901 and 1911 (Factory A (eastern section), Addition A)

In the first decade of the 20^th Century, the complex was expanded with a major Classical Revival addition to Factory A and the construction of Addition A. The eastern section of Factory A and Addition A are 4-story, flat roofed, brick buildings that are rectangular in plan. With this expansion, the entire orientation of the site changed as the building was extended east and a new main entrance was created on Olive Street. That entrance is denoted by a wide brownstone lintel that bears the inscription "OFFICE"' Brick pilasters with brownstone capitals support the lintel. Beneath that lintel is a 1/1 window and a single-leaf wood glazed door framed in a terra cotta surround. Beside that entrance to the south is the main vehicular entrance to the courtyard. A modern metal roll-down door is located in that bay. A secondary pedestrian entrance is located to the immediate south of the vehicular entrance and contains a modern double-leaf steel half-glazed door with a flush steel transom panel.

While the addition was constructed in the Classical Revival style, the scale and major details established in the earlier sections were continued in the addition. The most significant departure on the exterior from the earlier campaigns is in the fenestration. The windows on these sections are 4/4 and 1/1 wood with some aluminum single-light units with lower pivot section. The windows are predominantly paired and grouped in three, reflecting the trend in early 20^th Century industrial architecture to maximize natural light.

In the interior, this campaign incorporated chamfered wood columns with exposed board ceilings and exposed beams. This was a significant change in the structural engineering as it allowed for a much greater span between the columns which was important in industrial design. The floors are wood throughout and the walls are plaster. There is no significant partitioning remaining and the floors are open in plan. Remnants of the original office remain in the northeast corner including beaded board walls and ceiling. A brick vault with an original steel door survives in the office area.

Construction between 1911 and 1923 (Factory H, Boiler House)

In the second decade of the 20^th Century, the last phase of construction occurred with the construction of Classical Revival Factory H and the Boiler House in the southeast quadrant of the site. Factory H is a 4-story, flat roofed L-shaped building similar in scale and massing to the earlier builds. The Olive Street facade of Factory H that is nearly identical in design to the eastern half of Factory A and Addition A. The south facade, however, is more utilitarian in design, constructed of unornamented brick with a simple terra cotta cornice cap.

Fenestration on Factory H is provided by 12/12, 6/6, and 4/4 wood double-hung windows with a combination of bluestone and brownstone lintels and sills. The windows are organized in pairs and grouped in three. There has been some replacement with the single-light aluminum units with lower pivot sections. A secondary entrance is located on the east facade near the south end of the building containing a single-leaf steel, half-glazed door. A loading bay to the immediate south contains a roll-down wood door.

The interior of Factory H is laid out in an open plan with no partitioning and utilitarian features and finishes. Structural support is provided by chamfered wood columns with exposed board ceilings and exposed beams, identical to the system used in the second phase of construction. The floors are wood and the walls are painted brick. A single stair in the southwest corner provides access from floor to floor. That stair is modest in finishes with metal treads and risers, a vertical board wood stringer, and walls of painted brick.

The brick boiler house, located within the courtyard, is a 3½ story, 4-bay, gable roof building. Entrance is provided by a double-leaf steel door. The building is lit by 4/4 wood double-hung windows with steel lintels and bluestone sills. A tall terra cotta smokestack rises from a 1-story flat roofed appendage.