Chace Mills facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chace Mills
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Lewiston and Salem Sts., Fall River, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1872 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| MPS | Fall River MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000648 |
| Added to NRHP | February 16, 1983 |
Chace Mills is a very old and important building in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was built way back in 1872. This large stone building used to be a busy factory where people made cotton cloth. It's easy to spot because of its tall, fancy tower. Today, it's a historic landmark, recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
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A Look at Chace Mills
Chace Mills is located in Fall River, Massachusetts. You can find it on the south side of the Quequechan River. It sits where Lewiston Street meets Salem Street. The building is very big, about 377 feet long and 74 feet wide. That's longer than a football field!
What Does It Look Like?
The mill is made from strong local granite stone. It has 5 and a half stories, which means it's quite tall. If you drive on Interstate 195, you can see it easily.
The most special part of Chace Mills is its central tower. This tower goes up very high. It has an open top section called a belfry. This belfry has cool rounded arch openings. These arches are arranged in a style called Palladian. The tower also has a low, sloped roof. This roof has wide edges with fancy decorations. These decorations include paired brackets and dentil molding. This style is known as Italianate.
The History of Chace Mills
Chace Mills was started in 1872. Its main job was to make cotton cloth. It had many machines called spindles. These spindles helped spin the cotton into thread. The mill had about 43,480 spindles. Augustus Chace was the first president of the company.
Growing Bigger
In 1895, the mill got even bigger. A new two-story building was added. This addition was 310 feet long and 120 feet wide. It was used for weaving the cotton threads into fabric. There was also a large building nearby. This building stored the raw cotton. It was located closer to the river.
The Chace Mills complex also had two smaller wooden office buildings. These were in front of the main mill.
Changes Over Time
In 1929, another company called Arkwright took over the mill. The mill continued to operate for many years.
In 1999, a big fire happened. It destroyed the weaving building and the cotton storage building. But luckily, the main mill building was saved! Strong winds blew the fire away from the main building. This helped to protect it from the flames.
Today, Chace Mills is a reminder of Fall River's past. It shows how important textile factories were to the city.
