New Haven Clock Company Factory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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New Haven Clock Company Factory
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 133 Hamilton St., New Haven, Connecticut |
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| Area | 1.9 acres (0.77 ha) |
| Built | 1866 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 100000761 |
| Added to NRHP | March 20, 2017 |
The New Haven Clock Company Factory is a very old group of buildings in New Haven, Connecticut. It's located at 133 Hamilton Street. These ten brick buildings were built between 1866 and 1937. They are all that's left of a huge company that made clocks until 1956. This historic place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
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What is the New Haven Clock Factory?
The old New Haven Clock Company factory is in an industrial area of New Haven. This area is called Wooster Square, and it's east of the city center. The factory sits on almost 2 acres of land. It is bordered by Hamilton Street, St. John Street, and Wallace Street.
The Factory Buildings
The ten buildings are shaped like a letter "C". The open part of the "C" faces Wallace Street to the east. The southern part of the "C" is one very large building. This is where the company's clocks were put together. The other buildings were used for different steps in making clocks. Most of the buildings are three or four stories tall. They are made of brick, which was common in the late 1800s and early 1900s. You can see features like arched window openings and roofs that are not very steep.
The Story of the Clock Company
The New Haven Clock Company started because of a famous clockmaker named Chauncey Jerome. He was very important in the early days of clock making in Connecticut. Jerome had his main factory in Bristol. But he opened a factory on this New Haven site in 1844. This factory made the wooden cases for his clocks.
How the Company Began
In 1853, Chauncey Jerome's nephew, Hiram Camp, started the New Haven Clock Company. This new company made parts for Jerome's clocks. However, Jerome's business had problems and closed down in 1856. Hiram Camp bought what was left of Jerome's company with help from other investors. In 1859, the New Haven Clock Company joined the American Clock Company. But it still used its own name to sell clocks.
A Big Fire and Rebuilding
A huge fire badly damaged the factory in 1866. But the company quickly rebuilt it. The oldest parts of the factory you see today are from this rebuilding. In the early 1900s, the company became very successful. This was thanks to the management of Walter Camp. At that time, it was one of the biggest clockmakers in the world. The factory grew to have 28 buildings.
War Production and Closure
During World War II, the company helped the war effort. It made special parts called "timing fuses" and "relays" for mines. After the war ended, they started making clocks again. But the company faced problems because of more competition from other countries. Because of this, the New Haven Clock Company closed its doors in 1956. The largest part of their factory, on the west side of Hamilton Street, was torn down in the 1960s.
