Author Topic: Abandoned Mill Complex in Waterbury, CT - soon to be demolished  (Read 4302 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline nassahegon73

  • Out of the Closet
  • **
  • Posts: 34
  • InsaneKarma: +0/-1
There is a pretty impressive mill complex in the South End of Waterbury. Various articles were manufactured here including brass buttons. There are three buildings, one of four stories and a ruined bridge over the river that once supplied power to the factory. An elevated rail line ran to the complex but was demolished sometime after 1996, which was when I last walked the tracks. There are some definite risks involved in exploring this place. The interiors of the buildings have collapsed in places. The neighborhood is one of the worst in the city and squatting and illegal dumping are big problems so the neighbors might be on the lookout for trespassers. Also, a homeless man stabbed somebody to death in one of the buildings in 2009.

The city of Waterbury closed bidding on some environmental cleanup work at the site. Another even bigger factory complex upriver was demolished a few years ago so the area is slowly changing. The city wants to knock this place down a build a community center on the property and construct a greenway along the river. Despite the fact that plans often fall through in Waterbury, the city did receive a $500,000 grant so these buildings will come down soon. The complex is surrounded by a chain link fence but a gate on the northern side is wide open. This gate is directly across the street from some apartment houses and people park their cars on the same side of the road as the old factory. If anyone is interested in accompanying me, I plan to enter the complex on a Monday or Wednesday morning around 11.

Offline nassahegon73

  • Out of the Closet
  • **
  • Posts: 34
  • InsaneKarma: +0/-1
Re: Abandoned Mill Complex in Waterbury, CT - soon to be demolished
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2016, 02:45:03 PM »
My cousin and I explored the Waterbury Companies complex today. We were not able to enter some of the buildings because the floors were rotten and had collapsed in spots. I took some photos of the elevated rail line (some of the last remnants of the former Meriden, Waterbury and Connecticut River Railroad) and of the dam and footbridge on the Mad River. The buildings we entered were pretty underwhelming, though. We explored another, bigger and more impressive ruin down the street, the old Anamet Brass complex. There, I ran into another urban explorer who was armed with a pit bull and walking stick. He said a prostitute was murdered in the building recently. As I mentioned, there was a murder in the Waterbury Companies building as well. These complexes are pretty much open to all passers-by, some of whom have evil intentions. I am working on blog posts for both sites.

Offline Chuck E. Mong

  • Lurker-Tourist
  • *
  • Posts: 4
  • InsaneKarma: +1/-0
  • If the best can't be had, let the worst continue.
Re: Abandoned Mill Complex in Waterbury, CT - soon to be demolished
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2016, 06:34:23 PM »
I hope you do get in there and get some good photos. I still regret not going back to the mill I used to work at before they tore it down and I had over 7 years to do it. Bing maps is behind the times and shows it being torn down.  The middle school across the street used to have a huge mill complex as well and I'm sure they didn't fill in all of the tunnels going between those two and the one that was in the lower left of the photo. Somewhere I've got a Bing street view shot showing the inside of the building where I worked which is on the 5th floor on the lower right in the photo.  Good Luck.