Stratford Army Engine Plant Site, Connecticut

Built originally in 1929, by Sikorsky Aircraft, and located next to what is now called Sikorsky Airport, this was the company’s main fixed wing aircraft plant up to WWII. Sikorsky merged with Vought in the late 1930s, and expanded here, and in other places, during the war. After the war, Vought moved to Dallas, and Sikorsky moved its operations from here to other facilities, focusing on helicopters, and not needing airport runways. The main plant here was taken over by the Air Force, and designated as Air Force Plant 43, used in the production of aircraft engines, employing as many as 10,000 people during the Vietnam War. In 1976, it was transferred to the Army. Contractors operating the facility have included Avco, Textron, and Allied Signal, which moved its production to Phoenix in 1995, while the Army moved its production to Anniston, Alabama. Redevelopment plans have been swirling around environmental remediation plans since then, and most of the two million square feet in 50 buildings is still unused.