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Perkins Place
Lawrence Mills
Hub Hosiery / Mill No. 12 (1907)
Storehouse No. 14/ McQuade Building (1876)
Site History
The Lawrence Manufacturing Company, named after the Boston family of financiers who invested so heavily in the industries of Lowell, was incorporated in 1831 and was one of the original ten major textile-manufacturing companies in the city. By 1848, the company was producing 13.5 million yards of printed cloth, shirtings, and sheetings per year. Power was supplied by the Lawrence Canal and later, steam engines which were installed in the 1870s and 1880s.
Unfortunately a major fire in 1987 destroyed much of the central portion of the millyard. The buildings remaining in the millyard date from 1833 to 1909.
Building History
Prior to 1876, the Lawrence Canal was uncovered. Storehouse No. 14 was built on the site of the demolished original counting house, straddling the canal. It was originally known as the Cloth Room and Storehouse, later known as simply the Cloth Building. It was built in 1876 in the Italianate style at a height of three and one half stories, with red brick walls and rock-faced granite sills. The top floor was added in 1880s, which has window surrounds, roof, and corbelling of a different style. A wide relieving arch helps support the wall above the canal at the basement level. The Storehouse originally had bridges over Perkins Street that connected the building to the Paper Box Shop (No.15), which was a former boardinghouse.
During a brief period of expansion between 1905-1909, four buildings were added to the millyard. The original storehouses, repair shops, and the bell tower were demolished and Mill No. 12 was built in their place. Mill No.12 is a five-story structure with masonry construction on the north and south sides and wooden construction in the central area, which is over the Lawrence Canal. A six-story tower sits east of Cabot Street. At its east end, it is attached to Storehouse No.14.
Preservation and Reuse
The former Hub Hosiery and McQuade Buildings are currently being developed into 183 market rate apartments.