WOONSOCKET – A rehabilitation project involving four surviving buildings in one the oldest mill complexes in Woonsocket will receive $1.94 million in state historic preservation tax credits, according to the R.I. Division of Taxation.
The award to the Bernon Mills project, approved Monday, will facilitate an $8.2 million renovation, according to the documents.
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The applicant is Paul Crimlisk, senior vice president of MCU Commercial Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Millbury Federal Credit Union in Millbury, Mass.
The nature of the renovations is not clear, but various documents indicate one of the building spaces is to be converted to manufacturing use. Crimlisk could not be reached for immediate comment on the projects.
The buildings, all a part of the Woonsocket Company Mill, at 100-115 Front Street, are included on the National Register of Historic Places. They were built between 1827 and 1859, representing some of the oldest mill buildings in the city, according to Jeff Emidy, acting director of the state Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission.
The buildings have been unoccupied for several years. One building, called Mill 2, has previously been renovated and converted to apartments, Emidy said.
The oldest building, called Mill 1, dates to 1827. It is a five-story stone building built into a sloped site.
Mill 4 was built in 1859. This is a four-story building, perpendicularly placed to Mill 1, also made of stone and other similar materials. This building is proposed for a manufacturing use, according to the application.
A carriage house or garage, a two-story brick building, was built around 1910 and has a flat roof. The owner hopes to locate a restaurant in this building, according to the application.
A fourth building, a one-story, wood-framed structure, was most recently used as a retail store, and is expected to be used for that purpose again. This building, at 125 Court Street, was built in 1910.
A project timeline and cost schedule indicate architectural drawings should be completed by the end of October, with construction beginning in December. The renovations could be completed by December 2018.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
