New Mill and Depot Building, Hawthorne Woolen Mill
Encyclopedia
The New Mill and Depot Building of the former Hawthorne Woolen Mill are located in Greenwich
, Connecticut, United States. The two structures were built on an existing textile mill complex in the 1870s.
The mill and its depot, in the Gothic Revival and Queen Anne
architectural style
s respectively, were unusually decorative for functional buildings of that era. Today they are a commercial and retail complex for the Glenville
neighborhood of Greenwich. In 1990 they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Thirteen years later, when the Glenville Historic District
was listed on the Register in 2003, the buildings were a contributing property
.
on the east, where the 30 feet (9.1 m) high dam that powered the mills is still present. To the north is the commercial center of Greenwich's Glenville neighborhood, with the large former Glenville School, now the Western Greenwich Civic Center, to the east, behind a housing development. On the west side of the street the land rises sharply through wooded bluffs to a residential neighborhood; another one is on the other side of the river, where the land rises more gently to the state line and Rye Brook, New York
, a half-mile (1 km) away. To the south Pemberwick continues through woods along the Byram.
The "new" mill building, the larger of the two, sits on the river. It is a three-story, 56 by brick building with a two-story 19 by northern wing. Because of a regrading it now appears to be two stories on the east. A central tower rises to a fourth story, its top 55 feet (16.8 m) above the ground.
Intricate brickwork
and decoration
characterizes all the main block's facade
s. The round-arched windows on both floors have as their springlines belt courses
made of three rows of brick laid as two rows of headers with black stretchers in between. This is complemented by a reverse in the arches themselves, where the black bricks are recessed. Pilaster
s rise between the windows, topped by squares of projecting brick. A dentilled cornice runs just below the roofline.
The tower, and all but the east roofline, are crenelated at the top. Additionally machicolation
supports the flared top of the tower. Diapered
brick spells out "1881", the year of construction, in one of the entablature
s. Smaller towers are located at the corners of the building.
A pedestrian plaza separates the mill building from the 30 by depot to the east. It is a one-and-a-half-story structure of brick, in less decorative patterns. Its gable
d roof has broad overhanging eaves pierced by gabled dormer windows on the west. Both the dormer gables and the braces at the main gable peaks are braced with wood in a lacy foliate pattern, more intricate at the gable peaks than the dormers. The latter have visible rafter ends.
After an 1874 foreclosure
, William Tingue of Paterson, New Jersey
, purchased the mill. He formed Tingue, Hous and Company, doing business as
Hawthorne Woolen Mill. An insurance survey done in 1875 notes that the buildings were "substantial and in good repair"; it is not known then why he chose to demolish and replace them within a few years.
The depot, probably the first of the two to be built, was to have been served by a railroad, shown as planned on 1867 maps, connecting Port Chester, New York
, and Ridgefield, Connecticut
. Those plans were eventually abandoned. The construction of the new mill, which replaced a building described by the 1875 insurance survey as similar in size, suggests that Tingue had been able to make the mill very profitable.
His success may also have led him to choose such high-style designs for the buildings, to show the importance of the mills to the community and his commitment to them, as owners of such buildings at the time sometimes did. The intricate patterning on the mill facade suggests a great deal of thought went into the composition; the woodwork trim on the depot shows a Stick-Eastlake influence.
In 1892 the company changed its name to the Hawthorne Mills Company. Five years later, in 1897, it was recorded as operating with 20 sets of cards
and 70 broadlooms
. The American Felt Company, a New Jersey-based concern that operated mills in four states, acquired Hawthorne in 1899.
Its success continued, with first Irish
and later Polish
immigrants who lived nearby staffing the mills. In 1939 it had 24 card sets, five pickers and 200 employees total. After World War II
it went into decline along with the New England
textile industry as a whole.
American Felt closed the mill in the 1970s. It has since been converted
into a residential and commercial complex. The interiors of the buildings were completely renovated and partitioned, but the exteriors remain relatively intact.
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Connecticut, United States. The two structures were built on an existing textile mill complex in the 1870s.
The mill and its depot, in the Gothic Revival and Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
s respectively, were unusually decorative for functional buildings of that era. Today they are a commercial and retail complex for the Glenville
Glenville (Greenwich)
Glenville is a neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Greenwich in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 2,327. It is located in the western part of Greenwich at the falls of the Byram River, which provided waterpower when...
neighborhood of Greenwich. In 1990 they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Thirteen years later, when the Glenville Historic District
Glenville Historic District
Glenville Historic District, also known as Sherwood's Bridge, is a historic district in the Glenville neighborhood of the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is the "most comprehensive example of a New England mill village within the Town of Greenwich"...
was listed on the Register in 2003, the buildings were a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
.
Buildings
The two structures are located on a 0.8 acres (3,237.5 m²) lot between Pemberwick Road on the west and the Byram RiverByram River
The Byram River is a river approximately in length, in southeast New York and southwestern Connecticut in the United States.The river has an elevation of at its headwaters at Byram Lake in Westchester County, New York, and flows in a southward direction, crossing the New York-Connecticut border...
on the east, where the 30 feet (9.1 m) high dam that powered the mills is still present. To the north is the commercial center of Greenwich's Glenville neighborhood, with the large former Glenville School, now the Western Greenwich Civic Center, to the east, behind a housing development. On the west side of the street the land rises sharply through wooded bluffs to a residential neighborhood; another one is on the other side of the river, where the land rises more gently to the state line and Rye Brook, New York
Rye Brook, New York
Rye Brook is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, within the town of Rye. Prior to the village's establishment on July 7, 1982, the area was an unincorporated section of the town of Rye...
, a half-mile (1 km) away. To the south Pemberwick continues through woods along the Byram.
The "new" mill building, the larger of the two, sits on the river. It is a three-story, 56 by brick building with a two-story 19 by northern wing. Because of a regrading it now appears to be two stories on the east. A central tower rises to a fourth story, its top 55 feet (16.8 m) above the ground.
Intricate brickwork
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
and decoration
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
characterizes all the main block's facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
s. The round-arched windows on both floors have as their springlines belt courses
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
made of three rows of brick laid as two rows of headers with black stretchers in between. This is complemented by a reverse in the arches themselves, where the black bricks are recessed. Pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s rise between the windows, topped by squares of projecting brick. A dentilled cornice runs just below the roofline.
The tower, and all but the east roofline, are crenelated at the top. Additionally machicolation
Machicolation
A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
supports the flared top of the tower. Diapered
Diapering
Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, silverwork etc. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces.-Etymology:...
brick spells out "1881", the year of construction, in one of the entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
s. Smaller towers are located at the corners of the building.
A pedestrian plaza separates the mill building from the 30 by depot to the east. It is a one-and-a-half-story structure of brick, in less decorative patterns. Its gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof has broad overhanging eaves pierced by gabled dormer windows on the west. Both the dormer gables and the braces at the main gable peaks are braced with wood in a lacy foliate pattern, more intricate at the gable peaks than the dormers. The latter have visible rafter ends.
History
Glenville had grown up around a mill on the Byram since first being settled in the mid-18th century. By 1814 at the latest a textile mill, the Byram Manufacturing Company, had been established at the present site. It went through a variety of owners over the next several decades, none of them able to make it successful in the long term.After an 1874 foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
, William Tingue of Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
, purchased the mill. He formed Tingue, Hous and Company, doing business as
Doing business as
The phrase "doing business as" is a legal term used in the United States, meaning that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the legal person who actually own it and are responsible for it...
Hawthorne Woolen Mill. An insurance survey done in 1875 notes that the buildings were "substantial and in good repair"; it is not known then why he chose to demolish and replace them within a few years.
The depot, probably the first of the two to be built, was to have been served by a railroad, shown as planned on 1867 maps, connecting Port Chester, New York
Port Chester, New York
Port Chester is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is part of the town of Rye. As of the 2010 census, Port Chester had a population of 28,967...
, and Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough, is defined by the U.S...
. Those plans were eventually abandoned. The construction of the new mill, which replaced a building described by the 1875 insurance survey as similar in size, suggests that Tingue had been able to make the mill very profitable.
His success may also have led him to choose such high-style designs for the buildings, to show the importance of the mills to the community and his commitment to them, as owners of such buildings at the time sometimes did. The intricate patterning on the mill facade suggests a great deal of thought went into the composition; the woodwork trim on the depot shows a Stick-Eastlake influence.
In 1892 the company changed its name to the Hawthorne Mills Company. Five years later, in 1897, it was recorded as operating with 20 sets of cards
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
and 70 broadlooms
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
. The American Felt Company, a New Jersey-based concern that operated mills in four states, acquired Hawthorne in 1899.
Its success continued, with first Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
and later Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
immigrants who lived nearby staffing the mills. In 1939 it had 24 card sets, five pickers and 200 employees total. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it went into decline along with the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
textile industry as a whole.
American Felt closed the mill in the 1970s. It has since been converted
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
into a residential and commercial complex. The interiors of the buildings were completely renovated and partitioned, but the exteriors remain relatively intact.