From Excelsior Needle Co. to Timken: The Rise and Fall of Torrington's Standard Plant

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The Standard Plant and a Century of Making Things It was a hot May week in 2023, and J and I were already sweating through our shirts before we even made it to the entrance. We turned into the driveway off North Elm Street and passed a large Caterpillar backhoe holding up the red, white, and blue at the top of the arm. Patriotic machinery. Only in Connecticut. We moved toward the back of the complex with our eyes open, scanning for any sign of people or activity. We found cameras instead. A few of them, well-positioned across one of the buildings and up on an electrical pole, covering angles that made our original entry plan useless. We backed off, found a Plan B, and stepped into a dark room washed in tinted green light, then took the stairs down to ground level. The former Standard Plant sits along North Elm Street at a sunken grade, one story, with another building rising over the roadway to the far right when you're standing in front of it from North Street. It's the kind o...
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Former Conty's Drive-In (Salt & Pepper Restaurant)





Where the cuisine and customer service were lacking. Yelp reviews.

I came across this sad sight on my way to the nearby Seaside Park for sunset where I learned I needed a permit to enter the park. I made a furious U-turn and pulled alongside the defunct Indian cuisine restaurant. It seemed this halal restaurant did not function very well during its two-year tenure whilst it was opened (around 2009). The property sits at a two-way street intersection in a prime location for park-goers. This property was once slated for a high-rise development but as of now, no action has been taken to proceed to that goal. Currently zoned for office and retail use many hungry travelers pass by unperturbed by its vacant status. Not even the late-night hungry hoards of students at the University of Bridgeport could save it.

Before it was known as Salt & Pepper, this former place of business was originally known as Conty's drive-in. Built in 1961 and family-owned, it served burgers, seafood, and Italian dishes around the 60's and late 80's. The blue pillar festooned with the letter "C" and its unique architectural gull-wing style roof is all that remained of this former eatery. You can see it in its former glory here on Pinterest and also here. (Warning super small and low res.) You can see it in its defunct state with its marquee neon signage on Flickr's verplanck.



Current Status: Demolished


Coordinates:   41°10'0"N   73°11'10"W




Former Conty's Restaurant.









🍔 Did You Eat at Conty's Drive-In?

Did you pull up to Conty's for burgers and shakes back in the day? Do you have photos from when the drive-in was still serving, old menus, matchbooks, or memories of this Connecticut roadside classic? Share your stories below.

Drop a comment below or contact me directly. Full credit given to all contributors.

🍔 More Abandoned Connecticut Locations




Sources:
Location: 30 University Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, USA

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