Border City Mill No. 2 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Border City Mill No. 2
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1 Weaver St., Fall River, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1873 |
| Architect | Brown, Josiah |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| MPS | Fall River MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000999 |
| Added to NRHP | June 28, 1990 |
The Border City Mill No. 2 is a very old cotton factory building in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was built way back in 1873. This building is the biggest part left of what used to be a huge factory area called the Border City Mill complex. A famous local architect named Josiah Brown designed it. It's special because it's one of the few brick factories in the city. Today, this historic building has been turned into homes. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
Discovering Border City Mill No. 2
Border City Mill No. 2 is located in the northwest part of Fall River. It sits near the Taunton River. A highway, Massachusetts Route 79, now separates it from the river. Weaver Street runs just south of the mill building.
A Look at the Mill's Design
This building is five stories tall and made of brick. It has a special style called Italianate. You can see this style clearly in its tall central tower. The tower has thin windows and an open top part, like a small lookout spot, called a belvedere. The roof of the tower is shaped like a bell. A cool and rare feature still there are six old fire escapes made of wrought iron.
The Mill's Interesting Story
The Border City Mill Company started in 1872. A group of business people from Boston created the company. The factory building was finished in 1873. They chose to build it with bricks. This was because it was hard to get granite stones to this location. Most other factories in the city were built with granite.
Building the Mill
This factory was one of the first to be built along the Taunton River. Before this, most of Fall River's factories were built near the Quequechan River. The mill was an early project for Josiah Brown. He is known as the city's first professional architect.
What the Mill Made
The company mainly made fabrics for shirts and sheets. In 1879, there was a financial problem. The company had to be reorganized. By 1888, the Border City Manufacturing Company had three factories working. The company was still making fabrics in 1940.
From Factory to Homes
In the 1980s, Mill No. 2 was changed. It became apartments where people could live. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
