Middletown's Mohawk Manufacturing Mill Over the Decades

Once again, I failed to take any former Mohawk Mfg Co exteriors. 🙄

We pulled up to the old building, the car's engine humming softly before we killed it. J, ever casual, slipped between the fence and the building’s weathered walls, threading through the ornamental bushes with practiced ease. Suddenly, he whipped around, his face etched with unexpected concern.

“What happened?” I asked, my pulse quickening at the sight of his urgency.

“There’s a local Middletown cop parked right by the only entrance to the old Mohawk Mill,” J stammered. His usual cool demeanor had melted away, replaced by a sense of immediate alarm. Our hopes of a smooth, unnoticed entry vanished in that instant. We had anticipated an easy in-and-out job, but it seemed the law had other plans. He was parked right in the corner, a black-cloaked sentinel surveilling the property. 

The blazing sun beat down on us as we trudged up the street, the oppressive humidity wrapping around us like a suffocating blanket. Our next target was the former Forest City Cleaners and Launderers (Sanitone), a hopeful consolation prize for our initial setback. But William Street offered no such reprieve. Within a mere fifteen minutes, we faced our second defeat of the day, our shoulders drenched in sweat and our spirits dampened by the acrid scent of failure.

There was nothing to show for our efforts but the sting of disappointment and the overwhelming sense of demoralization. We turned back towards the car, our steps heavy with the weight of our double defeat. The nearest highway entrance ramp beckoned, promising a chance to escape the day’s mounting frustrations and perhaps, find greener pastures elsewhere.

The former Mohawk Manufacturing Company factory, a relic of industrial heritage, traces its origins back to around 1850. This venerable structure, the oldest of three blocks that once made up the factory, has borne witness to over a century and a half of evolving enterprise and shifting ownership.

In 1859, a Middlesex County map identified the owner as N. Bacon, a craftsman specializing in the manufacture of bank and safe locks. By 1874, the building had passed into the hands of Daniel R. Benham, a prosperous merchant tailor. While it is unclear whether Benham utilized the mill himself or rented it out, the property eventually found new proprietors. In 1881, Theodore F. and James B. Evans acquired the building, transforming it into the Evans Brothers Carriage Manufactory. Seven years later, in 1888, the enterprise was rebranded as the J.B. Evans Carriage Manufactory, continuing its operations on Hamlin Street until 1895.

In 1895, the site transitioned to Carrier and Smith, a carriage dealership, manufactory, and repair shop owned by William O. Carrier and N.H. Smith. Their tenure was brief, lasting just a year, before James B. Evans regained control in 1896. Evans, previously an employee of Carrier and Smith, managed the L.B. Evans Carriage Manufacturers until 1915. It is speculated that the firm was named in honor of his wife, Louisa B. Evans.

Following the closure of L.B. Evans, the building housed the O.K. Cleaning and Dyeing Company, which was subsequently replaced by the Adjustable House Dress Company by 1919. The factory's most significant transformation came in 1922 when it was acquired by the Mohawk Manufacturing Company. This company, incorporated in Waterbury in 1921, purchased the factory at 56 Hamlin Street to expand its production of sheet metal and brass goods.

Mohawk Manufacturing promptly added a 36-by-70-foot extension to the original block's south side, diversifying their output to include automobile springs and fishing pole eyelets. Throughout the 1920s, the company was helmed by George Boden, serving as president and treasurer, alongside Walter R. Morse as secretary, and George’s son Percy as assistant treasurer. By the late 1930s, with a workforce ranging between 50 and 99 employees, the Boden family had secured full ownership of the company.

In the 1950s, the business transitioned to John and George Boden, Percy’s sons, who shifted the company’s focus from wire products to tapping and stamping operations. In 1957, the Mohawk Manufacturing Company sold the Hamlin Street plant to Wesleyan University and relocated to a new facility on Newfield Street in Middletown. The company operated from this new location until December 2014. Since then, the original building at 56 Hamlin Street has stood abandoned and vacant.

Having acquired the historic property in 1957, Wesleyan University is now poised to transform the site. The oldest structure, dating back to 1850, along with an addition from 1922, is set for a significant overhaul. The university has secured approval to both renovate and demolish the existing 19th-century buildings, making way for a state-of-the-art arts lab facility by Bruner/Cott Architects. 

This ambitious new development will span 19,155 square feet and include a commons building, performance classroom, rehearsal studio, bio lab, design studio, and drawing studio. Additionally, there will be a support building, parking facilities, a performance area, a landform, and two entryways.

The reimagined arts lab will integrate modern educational facilities with the surrounding community. This project marks a significant step in Wesleyan University’s commitment to advancing its educational infrastructure while honoring the historical essence of the site.

Sources:

1. Day, C. (2023, August 4). (Wesleyan University to build art lab, concert hall at historic, ‘neglected’ Middletown building). The Middletown Press.

2. Flores, S. (2023, August 8). (Wesleyan University Receives Approval For New Arts Facility). Patch.

3. Mohawk Manufacturing Co. Connecticut Mills.