Bringing The Past Back To Life

Bringing The Past Back To Life

City of Norwich OKs redevelopment of historic wool mill

After years of lying dormant with a revolving door of owners, the historically important Yantic Woolen Company Mill will soon see new life as a 151-room hotel, after the zoning application passed unanimously with support from all areas.

The structure was first erected in 1865 by E. Winslow Williams after a fire destroyed an already working flannel mill that had been founded by Williams’ father, Captain Erastus Williams, according to the application to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Early on in its history, it saw major growth, demanding the addition of looms and wings to match the output that was demanded in 19th century Connecticut.

Because of the large size of the business, it became cumbersome after the Williamses sold the operation. It produced goods for the government in World War I, but until 1968, the building went through a succession of owners who limited its use or opened the factory only part time. The company that purchased the building, the Hale Manufacturing Company of Putnam, modified the equipment to produce Rayon and other synthetic materials. This lasted until 1989 when the building was left dormant.

In 2011, the building went through an auction with the owners hoping that the building could fetch $2 million. At the time, this failed and the building was sold for just $209,000 in 2012 to a New York computer specialist according to the Norwich Bulletin. In the last 30 years, the building has had five owners, mirroring the early 20th century when no one owner could hold onto the property.

The news of the latest developer’s plans were welcome for a city that has seen a building go underutilized for three decades.

According to the application the developers, Mill Development CT LLC, the request was to convert the mill space into the aforementioned 151-room hotel (nearly one room for every year the building has stood), but with amenities including a tennis court, playground, indoor pool, restaurant, and business center, with site improvements that include paved parking, drainage, utility connections, landscaping and exterior lighting.

Owing to the largesse of the building, these improvements will all fit comfortably on the footprint of the original mill area.

Additionally, the developers are lucky to have chosen this building for improvements: because the first mill was destroyed in a fire, the Williamses spared no expense when the building was constructed. From the NRHP application, it is noted that “features found in the Yantic mill reflect the period’s ongoing search for greater fire resistance,” continuing that “in addition to the use of masonry for the walls, the heavy timber interior framing and the thick floors built up of solid layers of wood were intended to minimize damage from fire.”

This doesn’t mean that there will be no work associated from the developer’s point of view, as other mills in the area had fallen victim to fire hazards in the past.

Peter Nystrom, the Mayor of Norwich, spoke in favor of the project as a taxpayer during the planning and zoning meeting, while City Historian Dale Plummer, and Norwich Historical District Commission sent in letters showing their support for the project.

As Mayor, Nystrom said to the Norwich Bulletin that the building is in “the gateway to our city when you’re coming from the capital. Gateways introduce people to what your city is about. We want to preserve that beautiful mill and engage it with the rest of the city.”

With a historic location and a good plan from the developers, the Yantic Woolen Mills building will continue to be a part of the future of Norwich instead of being relegated to the past.

The Economic Development section of CT&C is sponsored by New Haven Terminal, Inc. Learn more at: www.nhterminal.com