Hotchkiss Brothers Factory Complex

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Photo courtesy of Loop.net The One That Got Away: A Lumber Mill, Some Idiots, and a Call I Don't Regret Some stories don't have a satisfying ending. This is one of them. And I've been carrying it around long enough that I just need to put it down somewhere. J and I drove out to Torrington on what should have been a straightforward documentation run in 2023. The target was the former Hotchkiss Brothers Lumber Mill on Water Street, sitting on the east bank of the Naugatuck River. We scoped it on the way in, circled the block, found our parking spot, and liked what we saw. Entry looked manageable. The building looked intact enough to be worth the effort. We were ready. We crossed through the Stop & Shop parking lot in the full summer heat, shoppers drifting past us with their carts, completely indifferent. We clambered over a wall, pushed through branches that swatted us in the face, and followed the sound of the Naugatuck moving over rocks somewhere below. The grass...
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Abandoned 705



From commerce to residential.

This commercial building will be no more within 30 days. Come spring the construction phase will have already begun. I investigated this building a good month back to poke around and see if I could get inside before the wrecking ball devoured its walls. On the day in question, due to the proximity of another towering residential complex, people were outside and I didn't want to be greeted by the cherries and berries because I was squeezing my backside through a back window.






So I settled myself with some exterior shots and machinery that would end this commercial property for good. According to its history, this building was purchased in 2013 by a developer for millions of dollars to become the group's new headquarters but upon inspection, revealed many numerous additions that were unsuitable for renovation purposes. Flipping the switch the developer then proposed to the city council to turn it into a residential property complex. After proposing new traffic changes, parking space, and a reduction in residential units the council approved the plan and now the city block where this property sits will feature a new nine-story apartment building.

Location: Underseal until demolition, demolished in 2018

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