A series of brick factory buildings were taken down to make way for the Corsair Apartments, though a one-story building at the corner of Mechanic Street has remained.

Elizabeth Nadai's essay on 1040 State Street, 2009



On the corner of State, Mechanic and Lawrence Streets is a 2 1/2 story, brick, commercial/industry style structure that serves as a visual focal point of a State Street in transition. A recent article about the site from the New Haven Register points out that "the 3-acre site has had a 19th century brick building on it that housed Star Supply Company until 2006." However, in the past year a new development proposal has emerged, dramatically altering the site's future.



The article reveals that 1040 State Street, purchased by Post Road Residential Inc in 2014, was green lighted by the city later the same year to move ahead on a 235-unit project that "reflects a new private sector site-by-site housing boom for a city with a history of master planned grand schemes." The piece goes on to describe the new, and as of 2015, unbuilt design for the site, which would "lay flat — three and four-plus stories tall with a courtyard at its center and sidesaddle parking." While the design would eliminate much of the historic structure, architects have pointed out that it "incorporates a celebrated salvaged vestige of the 1875 building at the corner of Mechanic Street."



Historically, 1040 State Street has been a good example of local late 19th century industrial architecture in a neighborhood dominated by commercial and residential architecture. The building’s window openings have cut stone sills and brick segmental arches, and a number of the windows still have the original 6/6-pane sash. The gable on the western side of the building’s southern (Lawrence Street) elevation features “slight cornice returns” and an attic fan window, which was probably added before the turn of the twentieth century. A decorative “beltcourse” spans this elevation between the first and second stories. The main block building has a 1.5 story wing addition attached to the rear of its eastern (State Street) side.



According to The New Haven Preservation Trust, the building was probably erected in 1882 or 1883 for Thomas Forsyth on a lot that his wife Agnes purchased from William J. Atwater, Garwood Ferris, William Keeney and John Holloday on May 25, 1881. Forsyth built this structure to hold his growing business, which was called the Elm City Dye Works and Laundry by 1882. Forsyth had operated a laundry and dyeing business on the adjacent property to the north since the early 1870’s. The Forsyth family owned the property through the first decade of the twentieth century.



Throughout the 20th century, the building housed a number of different commercial and storage companies. According to the New Haven Directories, in 1915, William H. Forsyth shared the building with the New Haven Sherardizing Company, and in 1925 with Dunlay & Keyes Barrels. From 1939 to 1967, the building was home to a State Machinery Corporation, an Aircraft Supply builder and an antique store. The building was only vacant for one year in 1967.



In 1968, The Heating Star Supply Company (a family-owned heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning wholesaler), began to use 60,000 square feet of the red brick building. In 2006, rapid growth and a need for more efficiency prompted the company to relocate to a 100,000 square foot building at 118 Gando Drive in New Haven. In 2009, the property of 1040-1070 State Street (140,203 square feet) was currently up for sale, listed by The Geenty Group Realtors at a price of $3,100,000, and has been purchased for development of the State Street Lofts.

1882 - Built by Thos. Forsyth for laundry and dyeing

1900 - William H. Forsyth and Charles A. Kraus, Carpet Cleaners

1915 - Forsyth & Kraus Carpet Cleaners

- New Haven Sherardizing Company

1925 - Forsyth & Kraus Carpet Cleaners

- Dunlay & Keyes Barrels

1932 - Dunlay & Keyes Barrels

1939 - Nutmeg State Machineruy Co. (listed as 1041 State)

1956 - M.B. Manufacturing Co. Aircraft Supplies

1964 - M.B. Electronics / Tubing Manufactuers

1965 - Sweedler P. Antiques / Used Furniture

1967 - Vacant

1968 - The Heating Star Supply Co.

2009 - the Geenty Group Realtors

2015 - Post Road Residential, Inc.