Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

Use (Historic)

• Clocks, Precision Equipment

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

The property was developed as the world headquarters for Timex (originally the Waterbury Clock Co.) in 2001. Designed by Fletcher Thompson Inc., the 80,000 sq ft building accommodated both administrative and design functions for the firm. The following description is from the docomomo website: "The building features a long rectangular plan with convex south façade; a vaulted dome roof with oculus; and walls of transparent insulated glass, which allow for a panoramic exterior view of the site and picturesque environment. Constructed to match the contour of the site’s natural drumlin, or ridge, the lower level of the building with main entrance is set 15-feet below grade. This allows for the building’s low profile and reflective exterior wall-glazing system to appear as an organic element part of the surrounding natural landscape, disguising the building as a one-story structure from most vantage points. The architectural approach for the headquarters changed the paradigm of how buildings can be more than a "container" of a company. The open 45,000-square-foot main office floor was conceived without walls to inspire collaboration and teaming among the Timex Headquarters staff of 250 individuals. Minimal use of permanent partitions allows for broad diffusion of daylight within the building. Timex’s corporate identity as a watchmaker is physically manifested through the main floor design with a “Meridian Line” that runs through the center of the room, along the building’s true north orientation. An oculus in the south end of the domed roof filters a band of sunlight onto a solar calendar consisting of bronze medallions in the office floor. This interior time-tracking feature marks solstices and equinoxes and incorporates the company’s long history in the measurement of time and timekeeping. We believe its Meridian Line makes it likely the only office building in the United States and perhaps globally, that is a functioning example of the very product the company itself makes." (https://docomomo-us.org/news/timex-campus-threatened-with-demolition) With the purchase of a majority interest in Timex by a hedge fund in 2020 and sale of the campus in 2023 to a developer for a distribution center to be built on spec, Timex moved to a location in Shelton in 2024. The Middlebury building would be demolished for redevelopment but has met with local and national resistance. Save Historic Middlebury Inc. was created as a non-profit in 2024 to preserve this, and other threatened historic structures in the community through advocacy.

Number of Existing Buildings

n/a

Dates of Construction

2001

Architect

Fletcher Thompson Inc.

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration

Architectural Description

n/a

Exterior Material(s)

n/a

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

n/a

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

The large parcel is on the west side of Christian Road, between Judd Hill Road to the north and Route 188 to the south.

Adjacent To

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Exterior Visible from Public Road?

n/a

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 7-04/ / 009 / Link →

Acreage

34.88

Use (Present)

• Vacant

Form Completed By

n/a

Date

n/a

Bibliography

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