The former Ansonia Foundry Co. building, located on Pleasant Street.
ANSONIA – The 119-year-old Pleasant Street foundry will soon see use again – this time, making countertops.
The former Ansonia Foundry building at 36 Pleasant St., which has sat empty since 2019, was sold to Stamford realtor Alexandra Casabianca for $250,000 on Jan. 9.
Casabianca is leasing the building to Rolando Flores, a Long Island businessman who builds countertops for customers throughout the tristate area.
Flores currently owns KCC Stone Kitchen & Tile in Deer Park, Long Island. He said the new property will be used to fabricate stone countertops and expand operations for his Long Island business.
The Ansonia building will take on a new name – Terra Stonecraft – as part of the transformation. It will hire around four to six new employees, according to a statement of use on file at Ansonia City Hall.
The building sits in between houses in a residential neighborhood. Over the last century, it has hosted at least three different manufacturing companies, according to the State Historic Preservation Office. In 2014, it was listed as a candidate for the State Register of Historic Places, though it hasn’t made it onto the listing.
In 1915, it began producing brass and aluminum castings as the Ansonia Foundry Company, but its owners packed up and moved to Bridgeport a decade or so later, the linked webpage states. It was later home to the Ansonia Plumbing Manufacturing Company, which changed its name to the Kisluk Manufacturing Company after moving in.
From 1970, it was home to the Advanced Precision Casting Corporation, run by husband and wife George and Maryann Middleton. After Maryann passed away in 2018, city records show that the property was sold and ceased operations.
In the years since, it’s seen some interest from buyers – a West Haven cabinetmaker was considering moving in last year – but it continued to sit empty.
Flores’ new company secured a zoning change soon after the purchase, from heavy industrial to commercial.
Flores said his current Long Island shop was at capacity, and that he needs more space to complete his company’s jobs. He said that the lower taxes in Ansonia compared to Long Island made him look toward the Valley. There are currently no plans to service Valley customers from the shop – but Flores said that could change in the future.
There’s work that will need to be done before Flores can move in. A permit was secured in February to replace the building’s old roof, as well as to install a new garage door. He said he plans to begin that work as soon as possible.
Casabianca said Flores is hoping to begin using the shop by April or May.
