Heyden Chemical Corporation
Heyden Chemical Co. from Princeton Herald, July 18, 1951.
Historical Overview
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A chemical manufacturing plant once fronted Route 1 directly south of the Dinky train line. This - the Heyden Chemical Corporation - was a familiar mid-20th century sight in the historic West Windsor community of Penns Neck.
Ground was broken on this facility in 1943 and it formally opened the next year.[1] Heyden was contracted by the federal government's Defense Plant Corporation due to the medicine's ability to fight infections - especially useful for the armed forces.[2] Moreover, this plant produced a novel type of penicillin that did not need refrigeration.[3] The facility seems to have been government built and owned at first but in 1946 Heyden formally purchased the plant for about $100,000.[4] In 1951, it was awarded $3,600,000 by the federal government to double production of both penicillin and streptomycin (another antibiotic and pain reliever).[5] Two years later, Heydin was also producing candicidin (an anti-fungal compound).[6] In 1953, the manufacturing facility was purchased for $12,000,000 by American Cyanamid - a chemical, biopharmaceutical, and agricultural manufacturing conglomerate.[7] Although American Cyanamid's main facility in the area were developed near the intersection of Clarksville and Quakerbridge Roads,[8] they kept the Route 1 plant as well for the production of antibiotics.[9] It's unknown when, exactly, the facility shut down, but by the mid-1980s, the complex had been demolished to make way for offices off Alexander Road.[10],[11] |
Ad from Dec. 31, 1943 "Princeton Herald."
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Bibliography
- "Penicillin Production Here is Highly Praised." Princeton Herald. November 22, 1946.
- "Heyden Co. Buys Penicillin Plant At Penns Neck." Trenton Sunday Times-Advertiser. March 26, 1946.
- "Penicillin Production Here is Highly Praised." Princeton Herald. November 22, 1946.
- "Heyden Co. Buys Penicillin Plant At Penns Neck." Trenton Sunday Times-Advertiser. March 26, 1946.
- "New Heyden Multi-Million Dollar Construction To Double Production of Penicillin, Antibiotics." Princeton Herald. September 12, 1951.
- "New Antibiotic Now Being Made by Heyden." Princeton Herald. September 16, 1953."
- "$12,000,000 Was Paid for Heyden Division." Princeton Herald. December 9, 1953.
- "Industrious Spring." Town Topics. March 24, 1957.
- "Safety Award." Town Topics. December 19, 1968.
- “West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1980.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1980.
- “West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1985.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1985.
