The former Fuller Brothers Hat Manufacturing complex, built in 1874, is a rare surviving example of the mid-19th Century large scale industrial development in the city of Middletown and is significant under National Register Criteria A and C. The buildings, mostly vacant since 1978, retain a high degree of materials and craftsmanship. Adaptive reuse of the property allowed for its rehabilitation for needed affordable housing while preserving, reusing, and restoring its most significant components.
Henson partnered with Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC to design and carry out an adaptive reuse of the main mill building as residential units and commercial space, with one original outbuilding used as a residents’ community hall. As preservation consultants, Henson provided the necessary analysis and specifications to reconstruct and maintain the facades of the main mill building and the original chimney stack. A new addition of 15 units and residential support facilities, attached to the east of the main mill building through a three-story glass corridor, replaced the remainder of the original outbuildings.
Role:
Preservation Architect
Project Status:
Completed
Location:
Middletown, New York
Historic Designation:
Eligible for Listing on the State/National Registers
