{"nrhp_refnum":"83000718","name":"Stafford Mills","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"County St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fall River","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.69617229250005,"lon":-71.13872778544768,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A textile mill complex at the corner of County and Quarry Streets in Fall River, Massachusetts, built between 1872 and 1896. It has two granite mills, ancillary granite buildings and a brick office.","why_significant":"The complex is argued to meet criteria A and C for the distinctive, monumental design of its mills and office and for its role in Fall River's industrial expansion in the 1870s. It is notable for its site plan, workmanship, harmony of proportions and largely intact quality. The 1896 Richardsonian Romanesque office is described as among the finest of the city's mill offices and unique in its use of that style.","narrative":"Stafford Mills is a textile complex at County and Quarry Streets in Fall River, Massachusetts, laid out on a site originally 15 acres near the Quequechan River. Two five-story granite mills, built in 1872 and 1888, face each other across a mill yard, with picker, boiler and engine houses and a two-story granite weave shed added around them. In 1896 a brick office with brownstone trim and a Syrian-arched entrance was placed at the front center of the yard, giving it a visual focus. The company was named for founder Foster H. Stafford and was one of 15 textile corporations founded in 1871 and 1872, when the city was rapidly expanding its manufacturing. The first mill held 34,928 spindles and 860 looms and produced print cloth. Instead of building tenements, the company loaned money to local landowners and leased 144 houses. The mills closed in 1929. The complex was listed for its monumental design and its place in the city's 1870s industrial growth. Some original sash has been removed and office windows partly blocked.","period_of_significance":"1872-1896","architect_builder":"Beattie & Cornell (contractor for the office)","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque (office); granite mill construction","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Mill #1 is used as a furniture showroom; Mill #2 houses light industry and is partly vacant. The mills closed in 1929.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.310213-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/23/7896/63789623/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000718.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000718/466528432a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000718/466528432a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stafford_Mill.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stafford_Mill.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789623","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_Mills","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7596643"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/stafford-mills-83000718/"}