Counting House Lofts

Lowell, MA

Founded in 1825, the Hamilton Manufacturing Company operated as a textile mill until production ceased in 1926. The three-story brick Italianate building originally known as the “Counting House” served as the administrative center, watch house and transportation hub with direct access into the mill yard. The structure has a distinctly decorative appearance, with the corners and bays of its 690-foot long walls defined by brick pilasters with brick capitals, above which are deep corbelled-brick cornices below a heavy, wide roof overhang. The windows have rough granite sills and graceful Italianate caps of rowlocks and soldiers arranged in a segmental arch with drops on each side.

The long and narrow configuration of the building, measuring just 45 feet wide, is constrained by its position between the Hamilton Canal and pre-existing spur railroad tracks. The major portion of the building is merely two bays in width, while the easterly section widens to three bays and is another four bays long. The design maintains the existing interior train bay by incorporating it into four residential units, and thoughtfully integrates the 8’-0” column spacing to attain 52 unique living spaces and amenity spaces, including: a lounge, gourmet kitchen, laundry room, fitness room, and an outside patio.

LEED Certifiable, this historic building is a contributing resource within the Locks and Canal Historic District, a district listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.

Related Projects

• Loft Five50
• Royal Mills at Riverpoint
• The Apartments at Boott Mills