Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, Quinsigamond Iron & Wire Works, Galvanizing House, 753 Millbury Street, Worcester

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER MA-134-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This building is signifrcant as one of tluee remaining buildings of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company's Quinsigamond Iron & Wire Works, or South Works, complex. From about the mid the building housed an operation for galvanizing ferrous metal wire. The building's brick exterior consullction with granite- silled segmental arch windows, brick-arched loading bays, and corbelled brick cornices is typical of late nineteenth century mill buildings.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER MA-134-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This documentation was undertaken as a mitigation measure in compliance with the Memorandum of Agreement between the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Offrce and the Federal Highway Administration in connection with the construction of the Route 146lMassachusetts Turnpike Interchange Project. This doc .rmentation was prepared between and by: Stanley F. Moss; Michael J. Del-acey; Pauline Chase Harrell; Sally P. Hild; Jeffrey C. Howry; John K. Nanian Boston Affiliates, Inc. 156 Milk Street Boston, Massachusetts WASHBURN & MOEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, QUINSIGAMOND IRON & WIRE WORKS, GALVANIZING HOUSE (Washbum & Moen Manufacturing Company, South V/orks, Galvanizing House) FIAERNo.

MA-134-B Qnge2) Galvanizins House The Galvanizing House, constructed between and is a one-story iron rod reinforced brick building with a raised central monitor. Built to the limits of a site constrained by the channel of the Blackstone River to the south, Millbury Street to the west, and a railroad spur and siding to the east, the building has an irregular footprint, a nearly flat roof and is surmounted by a rectili ear monitor with approximately seven foot high whdows capped by a low pitched roof. A railroad siding closest to the building connected the Galvanizing House to an adjoining spur line that linked the main railroad line located just northwest of the Wire Rope Building, to the main facilities of the Quinsigamond plant immediately across the Blackstone River to the south.

The Galvanizing House retains its original footprint except for the removal of the accumulator and a one hundred foot chimney stack which at the northwest corner of the building's north wall adjacent to Millbury Sireet as indicated on Century plans. The accumulafor housed in a small structure attached to the north wa.ll of the Galvanizing House, served essentially as a very large storage battery to store the electric power used in the galvanizing process. The building is in a deteriorated condition, with large areas ofroofing and flashing missing at the top ofthe exterior walls and significant ioss of mortar visible in the brickwork of the walls.

The Galvanizing House was built to supplement Washbum & Moen's existing galvanizing facilities to the south on the opposite bank of the Blackstone River. Galvanizing creates a zinc metal coating on iron or steel products that inh bits the oxidation (rust) that causes the deterioration of the material and also reduces its electrical conductivity. It was a multi-step process that includes: i) degreasing ofthe metal to remove any machine lubricants; 2) 'pickling' or immersion in hydrochloric or sulfuric acid to remove any surface oxidation, i.e. rust; 3) rinsing with water or a fluxing agent; 4) zinc immersion at in a 'kettle'; and 5) quenching in a water or chromate solution. Upon cooling, the galvanized wire was re- wound onto drums for transport.

The Galvanizing House is constructed on a random ashlar foundation that is visible along the south wall of the building where a portion of it also serves as the retaining wall for the Blackstone River channel. The exterior walls of the Galvanizing House are red brick laid in common bond with a header-stretcher-header bonding cor rse every eighth course' Portions of the building ret in the original dentillated brick corbelled comice. The building walls are pierced at regular and ftequent intervals by tall, narrow window openings with brick segmental-arch heads and granite sills.

Many ofthese window openings have been filled in with brick or concrete block while some are boarded up and others are missing sash and WASHBURN & MOEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, QUINSIGAMOND IRON & WIRE WORKS, GALVANIZING HOUSE (Washbum & Moen Manufacturing Company, South Works, Galvanizing House) HAERNo. MA-134-B (page 3) leave the building open to the weather. On the building's southwest elevation along Millbury Street, some wood window sash remain that appear to be a triple hung window assembly. These windows appear to be twelve-over-two-ovel-two configuration. Four window openings (two each on the north and east elevations) have been lowered and made inlo doorways.

On the building's east elevation next to the railroad spur line were the openings for the two original brick-arched loading doors, the one to t}re nofh nearly twice the height of the other. These openings have been filled in witlr concrete b1ock, and two later openings have been cut into the northwest fa ade and sectional overhead doors have been installed in these openings. The remains of a painted American Steel Division sign are evident on the north elevation. Originally, the freight entrances on the east facade of the Galvanizing House permitted the transfer of wire and other products in and out of the building ftom the adjacent spur line.

The Sanbom insurance map for shows a schematic layout for the galvanizing process which included four rows of tanks (three rows ofthree tanks and one row of four) on an east- west axis perpendicular to the rail spur. The Sanborn map indicates two treatments prior to galvanizing (most likely degreasing and acid treatment) at thee of the process locations. The fourth row of tanks included an additiona"l ta k used for quenching. Al1 equipment (tanks etc.) has been removed, but their locations are evident in the layer of concrete poured around the process tarks a .d over much of the Galvanizing House's original brick flool at some point after original construction.

Evidence of the location of galvanizing kettles and other tanks used in the galvanizing process survives in the form ofbrick footprints in the concrete where the equipment has been removed. At present, the interior on the north side of the Galvanizing House is divided by sheetrock- on-stud partitions to form a large entrance space flanked by offices. This entry area leads to the main interior space where four-piece riveted (almost circular) steel columns with wood braces support the perimeter framing for the large rectangular monitor, which has a roof supported on wood trusses. The flat roof of the main building and the pitched roof of the monitor are ftamed with 4" x 14" wood timbers. The monitor windows are eight-over- eight, double-hung wood frame windows.

The roof and monitor configuration allowed the ventilation of heat and noxious fumes from the building while in providing natural light for the workmen in the building. The steel columns and heavy timber construction sunounding the rectangular monitor roofprovided a degree offire resistance and would have permitted the installation ofan intemal cra .e system to suspend wire and other products as they moved lrom tank to tan in the galvanizing process. WASHBURN & MOEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, QUINSIGAMOND IRON & WIRE WORKS, GALVANIZING HOUSE (Washbum & Moen Manufacturing Company,.South Works, Galvanizing House) HAERNo.

MA-134-B (Page 4) This building was used for galvanizingfrom until Following the closure of the Quinsigamond plant by the American Steei & Wire Company of United States Steel in , ownership of the Galvanizing House passed to Starr Scrap Metal. The building is now vacant. WASHBURN & MOEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, QUINSIGAMOND IRON & WIRE WORKS, GALVANIZING HOUSE (Washbum & Moen Manufacturing Company, South Works, Galvanizing House) HAERNo. MA-l34-B age 5) Sources Beers, & Co. Atlas of the Citv of Worcester. Worcester Countv. Massachusetts. New York: Beers & Co., Ceccacci, Susan M. and Brian Pfeiffer. Washbum & Moen North Works Manufacturing District Area "A" Form, Inventory of the Historical and Architectural Assets of the Commonwealth.

On file at the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston, MA. Fitch, Virginia H. and Andrew C.Winters. Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. Building Inventory Forms: Washbum and Moen Manufacturing Buildings, On file at the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston, MA. Hopkins, Atlas of the Cilv of Worcester. Massachusetts. Philadelphia: Hopkins, Nutt, Charles A. A History of Worcester and Its People. 3 Vols. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. Historic and Architectural Survey Report. Route 14 Improvements. Worcester and Millburv. Massachusetts. Pawtucket, Rhode Island: PAL, Inc., Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. Historic and Architectural Survev Report. Route 14 Improvements. Worcester and Millbury. Massachusetts. Appendix C.

PaWucket, Rhode lsland: PAL, . Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. Addendum to: Historic and Architectural Survev Reporl. Route 146 Improvements. Worcester and Millbury. Massachusetts' Pawtucket, R}ode Island: PAL, Richards, & Co. Topographical Atlas of the Co . Springfield: Richards & Co., Richards Map Company. fopogr hicd atlas o Springfield: Richards Map Co., Sanbom Map Company. Insurance Maps of Worcester. Massachusetts. updated to New York: Sanborn Map Co., WASHBURN & MOEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, QUINSIGAMOND IRON & WIRE WORKS, GALVANIZING HOUSE (Washbum & Moen Manufacturing Company, South Works, Galvanizing House) HAERNo. MA-134-B (page 6) Sanbom Map Company Insurance Maps of Worcester. Massachusetts. New York: Sanborn Map Co., Sanborn Map Company. Insurance MaDs of Worcester.

Massachusetts. New York: Sanborn Map Co., Stebbins, H. Map of Worcester. From actual surveys by Caleb Butler and H. Stebbrns. Boston: C. Harris, 183 1 . Stone, Orra L. Historv of Massachusetts Industries: Their Inception. Growth and Success. Vol. II. Boston: The Clarke Publishing Co., Sverdrup/Parsons Brinckerhoff. Base Map, Former Site of Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company and American Steel & Wire Company. Boston: Sverdrup arsons Brinckerhoff. "The Wiring of America," The Economist (December 19, United States Geological Survey. Topographic Map of Worcester South. Massachusetts. Denver: United States Geological Survey, Walker, George H. Atlas of the Citv of Worcester. Massachusetts. Boston: George H. Walker, Worcester Historical Society Archives, Miscellaneous Drawings and Sketches.

WASHBURN & MOEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, QUINSIGAMOND IRON & WIRE WORKS, GALVANIZINGHOUSE (Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, South Works, Galvanizing House) HAERNo. MA-134-B (Page 7) Hurley S6r,rare Tro vq. \, -lr . oP n \- \*. L mon rl-ar roo , f raak: {a-"-kfi-r.. e- R ve.r FIRsT FLO R t 5o lo6 5 c o lq- 1'1 fe-tt Schematic Plan ,