Mill History
The Strathmore Mill has been an integral element of the economy,
history and landscape of downtown Turners Falls for more than 100 years
and is one of the few surviving historic mill structures in Turners
Falls. The mill was originally built in 1874 by Keith Paper Company.
At that time mills still primarily used natural lighting and powered
their machines mechanically. A system of gears, leather belts and line
shafts distributed power from the hydro-turbines to the machines. These
factors meant that the buildings not only had to be tall and narrow
with many windows, but that they had to be concentrated together. At
the time it was built, the Strathmore Mill was state-of-the-art and
designed to efficiently utilize pre-automotive transportation. A
railroad spur came up what is now Canal Road delivering raw materials
and taking away the finished products. Workers lived in housing across
the canal would enter the mill via the pedestrian bridge. The design
aspects which made Strathmore modern and efficient in the 19th century,
now make the complex a beautiful, intriguing, and challenging site.
Beginning in
1906, mills in Turners Falls began to convert from mechanically-driven
machines to electric ones. Each mill complex consolidated their
numerous turbines spread throughout their buildings into one large
turbine that generated electricity for the mill. As regional demand for
electricity grew, Cabot Station, a hydroelectric station, was
constructed at the end of the power canal. In 1951, Western
Massachusetts Electric Company, the operator of Cabot Station, offered
to trade electricity in exchange for Keith Paper’s water power
allotment because electricity could be generated more efficiently at
the station. While a functioning turbine still exists within the
Strathmore Mill, it continues a similar Water Exchange Agreement with
Northeast Generation Services, the current operator of Cabot Station.
Over the eighty years that Keith Paper ran the mill, they modernized
the facility twice, in 1935 and 1952. In 1953, the Strathmore Paper
Company acquired the mill to produce the high quality artist paper that
bears its name. Production would continue at the mill for the next
forty years.
Since paper
production stopped in 1994, the mill has been utilized for a variety of
uses, including artist space, light manufacturing and recycled paper
storage. In 2007, a fire destroyed building 10. The fire was contained
with only two other buildings experiencing minor damage. Later that
same year, Preservation Massachusetts listed the Strathmore on its list
of the “ten most endangered historic structures in Massachusetts”.
Also in 2007, ownership of the Strathmore Mill was transferred to the
Swift River Group. The developer’s plan was to create a film school,
studios, and ancillary uses at the mill, a project which would have
taken advantage of film industry tax breaks available in Massachusetts,
as well as state and federal historic tax credits. Although the Town of
Montague was ultimately forced to take the Strathmore Mill in February
of 2010, Swift River did make a contribution to the future of the
property. Aside from cleaning up many of the buildings, the former
owner commissioned numerous architectural, engineering, and marketing
documents.
In recent years, the Town of Montague has made major investments in an
effort to get the mill back into productive use. Aside from
commissioning numerous feasibility and site assessments, the Town has
financed a new roof and converted the fire suppression system from a
wet to a dry sprinkler system. This has eliminated the need to heat the
buildings during the predevelopment stage.
More recently, Montague partnered with the Commonwealth once again in
the implementation of a 43D Streamlined Permitting Grant at Strathmore,
which has been designated a “priority project”. Besides enabling the
town to institute legal and institutional changes that will facilitate
development at the mill, the $100,000 grant was used to conduct
engineering, architectural and other studies necessary for the future
development of the building.
Historic Preservation
One of the Town’s redevelopment goals is to preserve the historic character and integrity of the structures and the site. The Town advocates that any redevelopment of the property should conform to the complex’s National Register of Historic Places designation, which would entitle the developer to tax credits. At minimum, redevelopment plans should preserve most of the major building components and preserve or restore the historic character and distinguishing characteristics of the existing buildings. Proposals should strive to meet this goal to the extent feasible in all rehabilitation, demolition, new construction, and site improvement plans. A developer shall be clear about what historic standards they intend to meet. Demolition will be considered only if it is deemed necessary to remove structures in order to create an economically viable project.
