Later History

Heany Industries did not use all of the industrial buildings at the Armory site. Many of the oldest buildings were left empty and fell into disrepair. In 1964, the New Haven Water Company demolished a number of structures, including most of the fuel storage sheds and the forge built by Eli Whitney Sr. and the central Armory building constructed by Eli Whitney Jr. in 1860. 

Several historic buildings remained, however: one coal shed and the boarding house and barn across Whitney Avenue. The boarding house has been the headquarters of Preservation Connecticut since 1989. When the Eli Whitney Museum was founded in 1976, it operated from the barn. The EWMW still uses the barn for events and studio space.

[MORE INFO LINK: HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM]

The current main building [NAME?] of the Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop was one of the primary Heaney Industries buildings, though it may have been built during the Acme Wire period of the site. After Heaney Industries left the site in 1979, the EWMW converted the workshop to house exhibitions, workshops, and offices.

Also in 1979, students from Eli Whitney Technical School built the replica of the Town Bridge that crosses the Mill River beside [building name].

In [YEAR], the EWMW converted and expanded a former garage on the southern end of the site, creating [building name]. This building now houses the EWMW’s woodshop and a large classroom space.