Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• American Thermos Bottle Co. c.1946
• American Thread Co.
• C.B. Cottrell & Sons Co. c.1946
• Clark Thread Mill Co. 1891-
• Delite Fabrics Inc. c.1946
• S and P Mfg. Co. c.1946

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

For historical significance see National Register application: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/08001190.pdf

Number of Existing Buildings

n/a

Dates of Construction

1891, 1899

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

n/a

Architectural Description

For description see National Register application: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/08001190.pdf

Clark Thread Mill Co. built the first of these buildings in 1891. The main mill is a 4-story, flat-roof, brick structure, about 200' x 55'. It has segmental-arch lintels, stone sills and a corner stair tower. Outbuildings include a 1 1/2-story, brick picker house and a 1 1/2-story, brick power house, both with gable roofs. The main mill was extended in 1899 with a 4-story, brick-pier addition, about the same length as the first mill but one bay wider and slightly taller. Its window openings are segmentally arched and sills are of cut stone. A 5-story stair tower rises at the southwest corner. Cornices of both tower and mill are corbeled. A 1-story, brick office building with hipped roof stands just west of the mill. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

n/a

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

Three parcels totaling 8.32 acres between Pawcatuck Avenue to the west and River Road to the east, south of Clark Street; 12 River Road is the north end (residential rehab), 21 Pawcatuck Avenue is the south end of the mill (ind/com), and 22 River Road is the southeastern block (marina).

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 5-5-1 southwestern block / Link →
• 5-5-3 northern half / Link →
• 5-5-2 southern half / Link →

Acreage

2.53; 5.24; 0.55

Use (Present)

• Other: The northern half of the mill (Mill #1) was rehabbed residential in 2016. 6/2023, DECD awarded $200,000 grant to conduct assessment activities at the former 5.5-acre industrial site at 21 Pawcatuck Avenue (the southern half, Mill #2) to potentially enable residential end use. Rehab of the southern half Mill #2 is in the early stages by Lee Properties LLC, Haverhill MA as of 2023. As of 5/2024, part of roof on Mill #2 has collapsed. 12/2024 the municipality was awarded $4m grant for abatement/remediation at the southern half for rehab as 51 apartments.
• Residential
• Vacant

Form Completed By

n/a

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).