Harmony Mills

Harmony Mills, in Cohoes, New York, United States, is an industrial district that is bordered by the Mohawk River and the tracks of the former Troy and Schenectady Railroad (now the Mohawk-Hudson bike trail). It was listed as Harmony Mills Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. A portion of the district encompassing the industrial buildings and some of the housing built for millworkers was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1999.[2][3] The centerpiece building, Harmony Mill No. 3 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[1]

Harmony Mills Historic District
Partial front elevation of mill building in 2008
LocationCohoes, NY
Coordinates42°46′52″N 73°42′15″W
Architectural styleSecond Empire
NRHP reference No.78003151
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 12, 1978[1]
Designated NHLDJanuary 20, 1999[2]

It was the largest cotton mill complex in the world when it opened in 1872, and is one of the finest examples of a large-scale textile mill complex outside of New England.

The complex went into decline after its largest tenant, Barclay Home Products, went out of business in 1988. Mill 2 burned down in 1995. Mill 1 suffered devastating damage in a second fire in 1998.

Developer Uri Kaufman purchased the complex in 2000.

In 2005–2006, a portion of Mill 3 was renovated and turned into high-end residential lofts. The 96 loft apartments completed in this first phase were at 100% occupancy by July, 2006. A second phase containing 135 units was completed in 2010, adding a pool and spa and other luxury amenities. This phase—98% leased as of July, 2012—was called Harmony Mills Fallsview Luxury Apartments because of the views of the Cohoes Falls.

A third phase, restoring Mills 1 & 4 was commenced in early 2013. Mill 4 was completed in early December, 2013. 31 of its 33 loft apartments were pre-leased prior to receipt of the Certificate of Occupancy on December 6, 2013. In all, the Harmony Mills now contains 340 luxury loft apartments.

The revival of the Mills sparked a revival of the City of Cohoes. In the 2010 census, the City gained population for the first time since 1930. According to a study by the Center for Economic Growth, Cohoes was the fastest growing city in New York State in both 2015 and 2016.[4] The project has been hailed as a prime example of how adaptive re-use of historic buildings can revitalize cities, while clearing urban blight in an environmentally friendly manner.

For his efforts in restoring the Harmony Mills, Uri Kaufman was awarded the New York State Preservation League Excellence Award.[5] The Harmony Mills is featured on the Home Page of the New York State Historic Preservation Office Website, as a leading example of historic preservation development.[6]

Mill No. 1

Due to the powerful Mohawk River Falls and the introduction of the Erie Canal, the location of the Harmony Mills was key to the success and vast expansion of the company. Completed in the year 1837, Mill No. 1 stood as the first textile mill to house the operations of the newly founded Harmony Manufacturing Company. Mimicking the gable-roofed like structures common to the Greek revival movement, these impressive architectural features can still be appreciated today. The construction of this mill prompted the realignment of the Erie Canal which originally sat on the east side to be shifted to the west side of the building (1837-1842). The east side was then used as a hydraulic canal for the growing company. Its location was critical since the western side of the building sat just a few yards from the Erie Canal's lock No. 16.[3] Despite its vast potential, the original owners failed to produce profits and in 1850 the building was acquired by Thomas Garner of New York City and Alfred Wild of Kinderhook, NY.[7] The mastermind and convincing figure behind this purchase was Robert Johnston. A skilled cotton mill worker with years of experience, Johnston was hired on as the company's new supervisor by the proprietors. Almost immediately, he proved himself worthy of the undertaking and under his leadership the company required the addition to the original Mill No.1. It consisted of an architecturally pleasing 5-story 274 foot long building and featured a large tower and arched entryway.[3]

Picker House / Storehouse / Pump House

In the year 1853, the inclusion of the Picker House was required to increase the efficiency of the growing production. To meet these needs, the Picker House was utilized for the opening and cleaning of the imported cotton bales as well as a storage space. This building and the structural portion of the walkway to Mill No.1 still remain today.[3]

Mill No.2

Erected in the year 1857, Mill No. 2 was a symbol of the ever growing production of cotton goods in Cohoes. This mill acted as an extension of Mill No.1 and later called for a fourth floor mansard roof addition in 1866.  Unfortunately, the mill suffered severe damage from a fire in 1995 and has since been demolished.[3]

Mill No.3  

Years of continued success and an increase in production had allowed the most significant on the mills to begin construction in 1866. With the first phase completed in 1868 and the second shortly after in 1872, Mill No. 3 stood with an astonishing foot print of 1,185 feet in length and 70-76 feet wide. Standing five stories tall and featuring gorgeous Victorian styled aesthetic features such as the mansard roof and the bronze statue of Thomas Garner near the front two towers, Mill No. 3 was a symbol of tremendous success for the Harmony Factories. Housed in the basement of the mill were two 800 horsepower Boyden turbines which powered all of the machinery in that mill.[3]

Mill No.4

In 1872 the Harmony Company acquired what used to be the Van Benthuysen Mill and converted it into another cotton mill. This mill’s main responsibility was the production cotton bags and jute. [3]

Miscellaneous Buildings

In addition the main mills, there was the Boiler House (c. 1911), Office and Sunday School Building (c. 1853), and the Generator Plant. Today the Office and Sunday school building is utilized as a commercial building and is currently leased out by a Salon.

Tenements

The quick growth of the Harmony Mills accompanied by a large influx of immigrants, allotted the Johnston’s the opportunity to provide an easily adaptable community to entire newcomers. To do so, they constructed over 800 tenements to house these immigrants and their families at very mere costs as long as they worked in the mills. This allowed the mills to employ over five thousand operatives and assisted Cohoes in becoming the nation’s largest producers of wool knit goods in the 1860s. [8]

  • Viewed across Mohawk River, in HAER photo from 1969
  • Harmony Mill No. 3, in 1969

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Harmony Mills". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-14. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05.
  3. Rachel D. Bliven (June 20, 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Harmony Mills" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 18 photos, exterior and interior, from 1994, 1998, and undated. (2.26 MB)
  4. http://www.ceg.org/articles/cohoes-repeats-states-fastest-growing-city/
  5. http://www.preservenys.org/uploads/3/1/6/2/31626961/pr-harmonymills-final.pdf
  6. http://nysparks.com/shpo/
  7. Vogel, Robert M. (1973). "Report of the Mohawk-Hudson Area Survey". Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology (26): 1–210. doi:10.5479/si.00810258.26.1. ISSN 0081-0258.
  8. Walkowitz, Daniel J. (1981). Worker city, company town : iron and cotton-worker protest in Troy and Cohoes, New York, 1855-84. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-00915-0. OCLC 993276133.
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