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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25-31 Bartlett Building (2017)










Behind the Building




It seems like forever since I last posted here. 

2020 was one for the history books worldwide where it seems almost every country and every continent went into quarantine and lockdown with no one going anywhere and everything on pause. I did not take advantage of the opportunity to go out and explore so here I am digging through my archives to see what I can find to let the world see what was once here and now that is gone.

Found this old and vacant building scouring Brooklyn on Google Maps. Upon arrival in 2017, I found access to be doable but not worth the entry since the building was mostly boarded and fenced for impending demolition. Not worth the trouble in broad daylight and with a vigilant and suspicious community in the surrounding area not worth the time. The only doable and easy part of this spot was exterior shooting. So here you go. 


Currently, this entire street is being bought out and sold for new apartments in this densely packed area. 


Status: Demolished and currently a fully active apartment building.



Location: 31 Bartlett St, Brooklyn, NY 11206, USA

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