This was a complicated project with a simple goal: bring life back to a landmark textile mill that was once the lifeblood of Windsor Locks. For a time the country’s largest producer of tinsel, the multi- building complex was abandoned decades ago, a blighted source of community consternation. Today the complex is home to 160 mixed-income households that appreciate the building’s chic and resilient character, as well its location alongside a state park trail system, the CT river, a new Amtrak station and neighborhood amenities.

Located in a 100-year floodplain between the Windsor Locks Canal and the Connecticut River, the Montgomery Company Industrial Complex consists of four brick and reinforced concrete buildings dating from 1891 – 1939. The plant functioned until 1989, making it a significant and long-tenured facet of Windsor Locks’ industrial heritage that the community felt very attached to, even as it fell on hard times.

Over several years, the Town worked closely with state agencies to develop a Transit-Oriented Development; with the redevelopment of the Montgomery Mill integral to the vision, they ultimately received nearly $3 million through the Complete Street program to redesign Main Street to make it more pedestrian- and bike-friendly and relocate the commuter rail station to downtown.