Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Bridgeport

Defunct American East Coast pressing pressing plant of Columbia Records located Bridgeport, Connecticut. Opened in the 1920s, ceased pressing records in March 1964 though continued to operate as a distribution center for several years thereafter. Columbia's Bridgeport plant opened in the 1920s and at one point it was Columbia's primary record pressing plant. Bridgeport was known as the first facility in the world to manufacture commercial 33rpm LP records. Scully, America's top manufacturer of LP cutting lathes, was located 12 blocks away. In 1949, Columbia began moving pressing equipment from its Kings Mills pressing plant in Cincinnati to the Bridgeport plant. Bridgeport had 16 injection molding machines and Terre Haute had four. Columbia announced in September 1963 plans to begin phasing out some operations of their Bridgeport facility within the coming six months, and ceased record pressing operations in March 1964. The change would result in a reduction of the current 650-employee workforce by approximately 325 employees primarily associated with manufacturing while the business operations were expected to continue for several more years, and the facility continued to operate as a distribution center. From December 17, 1951, to January 14, 1952, the Bridgeport plant was hit with a strike by the United Electrical Workers; during that period, there was increased pressing activity by Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Hollywood, as well as product subcontracted to the following other plants: - RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis - RCA Records Pressing Plant, Canonsburg - Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton - Shelley Products Customatrix was a division of Columbia's pressing operations that handled the making of metal parts (i.e., mothers, stampers) for such pressings by Columbia. Identification The Bridgeport plant identifying marks in the runout area in the late 1950s and early 1960s were pinprick dots ("⦁") or periods ("."), which were positioned to the bottom right of the lacquer number etched or stamped into the runouts, with each dot signifying a new "mother," or mold, made from a master (e.g., ZTSP64863-2B — signifying that up to this point, four mothers/molds were produced from a master created of lacquer designated ZTSP64863-2B). Example: All I Have To Do Is Dream In 1962-63, an embossed dot was positioned to the left of a lacquer number in the runout, another identifying mark of a Bridgeport 7" pressing, sometimes in combination with the aforementioned dots. Example: Don’t Be Afraid, Little Darlin’ In some cases, "CLB" stamped in the runouts was used to identify Bridgeport pressings. Example: Patterns From 1960 to 1963, "BH" etched in the runouts indicates metalwork originating (i.e., "Plated At") at Bridgeport, but pressed at the Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Hollywood, plant. Example: The Two Of Us Cadence (2) issues from 1962-64 have "BP" markings in the runouts. Example: A Taste Of Honey Fine Recording Studios-mastered LPs on Mercury's Living Presence label have "CBFR." Example: Piano Concerto No. 3 Pressings of LPs from the mid- to late 1950s had stamped serif "I's" indicating a mother (or mold), as few as one or as many as 10, embedded in the label area between the outer label edge and the outer edge of the deep groove. Example: The King Of Swing Vol. 1 (1937-38 Jazz Concert No. 2) It should be noted that Bridgeport pressed in styrene for budget Harmony (4) LPs from 1957 until 1960; and also had pressed some styrene LPs on Columbia from 1952 to 1958. (The label hole is 0.34375" diameter, vs. 0.28125" diameter for vinyl pressings.) Bridgeport fonts as included here are: - 8 and 10 point Erbar Bold Condensed - 10 point Gothic Condensed No. 1 - 7 point Gothic No. 4 - 6 point Gothic Condensed No. 4