Norad Mill
Why it's listed
Norad Mill is a brick woolen mill at 60 Roberts Drive in North Adams, on the north bank of the Hoosac River. The main mill, wheelhouse and wing date from 1863 and feature a high-peaked roof and ornate corbelled brickwork on the cornices. Later additions between 1895 and 1904 extended the west end and south wing, some copying the load-bearing walls and low roof of the original, others using curtain-wall construction. The mill was built by the North Adams Woolen Company, organized in 1863 and financed mainly by Sanford Blackinton, the town's wealthiest manufacturer. By the mid 1890s it produced fancy cassimeres worth half a million dollars a year and employed 225 workers, making it larger than 90 percent of American woolen mills. Woolen production continued until shortly after World War II. Printing and storage businesses later occupied the buildings. It is considered the oldest and most intact mill complex in North Adams, retaining its design, materials and setting.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest and most intact mill complex in North Adams, having survived without major external alteration of the original appearance. It is tied to the city's main 19th-century industry, wool production, and to its leading industrialist, Sanford Blackinton. It is found eligible under Criteria A, B and C.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85003417, listed October 25, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 60 Roberts Dr., North Adams |
|---|---|
| County | Berkshire County |
| Listed | October 25, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003417 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; built by the North Adams Woolen Company (president Sanford Blackinton) |
| Architectural style | Italianate industrial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is industrial/commercial; the form describes past use by a printing company and a sales and storage business. |
| Acreage | 4.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.69877, -73.13846 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85003417.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7050183
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.