jgbeam
6th of January 2005 (Thu), 07:35
New England's textile industry flourished in the 19th and well into the 20th centuries. It is all but dead now. There are only a few remnants of that industry left. Most of the old mills are gone but a few have survived and are being recycled for new uses. American Thread in Willimantic, Connecticut was one of the largest mills in the state and the exterior walls were built from granite stone instead of the much more prevalent brick. The interior structure of the old mills was always heavy timber. I am a structural engineer and have been heavily involved with historic rehabilitation projects. This mill is one of my current projects. It is being convertd into an "Artspace" building. It will provide economical living, studio and exhibit space for local artists. This is the fourth Artspace I have worked on.
This photo shows what the building looked like in 1989. At that time I conducted a structural condition survey for a prospective buyer and found the building to be in very bad structural condition. It had been vacant for years, the roof had many openings and the timber was rotting. That buyer did not purchase the building. About 12 years later, the Artspace people purchased the building and began the rebirth.
From time to time I will post photos showing the transformation of this grand old mill.
http://img2.imagevenue.com/loc78/aa0b0_File0007r.jpg
The large pipe sections in front of the building were about to be installed UNDER the building within an existing penstock. The original 11 foot diameter penstock was badly corroded and unserviceable. The power company installed the new 9 foot diameter pipe INSIDE the existing penstock. There is a river on the other side of the building and a dam at one end of the building. Water enters the penstock at one end and flows down and through a turbine at the other end to generate power.
More later,
Jim
This photo shows what the building looked like in 1989. At that time I conducted a structural condition survey for a prospective buyer and found the building to be in very bad structural condition. It had been vacant for years, the roof had many openings and the timber was rotting. That buyer did not purchase the building. About 12 years later, the Artspace people purchased the building and began the rebirth.
From time to time I will post photos showing the transformation of this grand old mill.
http://img2.imagevenue.com/loc78/aa0b0_File0007r.jpg
The large pipe sections in front of the building were about to be installed UNDER the building within an existing penstock. The original 11 foot diameter penstock was badly corroded and unserviceable. The power company installed the new 9 foot diameter pipe INSIDE the existing penstock. There is a river on the other side of the building and a dam at one end of the building. Water enters the penstock at one end and flows down and through a turbine at the other end to generate power.
More later,
Jim