The Hartland Group created a marketing and redevelopment plan for a vacant industrial building in downtown Richford. Once used in the manufacture of maple furniture for the Sweat-Comings Company, the structure is an excellent example of early twentieth century mill architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Using their past experience with adaptive reuse and historic renovation projects, Hartland's partners helped create a plan to improve Richford's quality of life and economy while preserving an important reminder of its place in American industrial history.

In partnership with the Richford Health Center and Housing Vermont, the Hartland Group implemented the plan and performed a historic renovation of the Sweat-Comings mill. The building is now home to a ground-floor supermarket, with new second-floor offices, clinics and a pharmacy for the Richford Health Center, and third-floor affordable rental housing with views of the Missisquoi River valley. A dental clinic is in construction on the fourth floor. Architect Tyler Scott worked with state and private historic advisors to retain the historic aspects of the building and site while adapting it for modern uses.

History

After a fire devastated its old wooden building in 1907, the Sweat-Comings Company rebuilt and modernized its factory using ornate concrete blocks and the latest machinery for building maple furniture. Beneath the upper floors for the factory and offices, the new buildings provided space for ground-floor retailers, including a barbershop, pharmacy and plumbing company. With a Main Street façade, the new factory was one of downtown Richford's most significant assets.

Business boomed for the Sweat-Comings Company and in 1923, at a cost of about $150,000, the company built a third three-story building along Powell Street. The only Sweat-Comings mill building still standing today, it was constructed as a state-of-the-art facility for the production of the finest in maple dining-room furniture. The dedication ball for the new building boasted two thousand guests, a testament to the importance of the industry to the local community.

Like many similar mills in the Northeastern United States, the Sweat-Comings business declined through the 1980's and finally ceased operations in 1995. Sadly, the 1908 and 1909 buildings had deteriorated so much in those final years that they ultimately had to be demolished despite the town's best preservation efforts. Fortunately, the historic 1923 building remained in stable condition, suitable for the adaptive reuse project. The redevelopment of the Sweat-Comings mill site has recaptured some of the great downtown activity Richford enjoyed in its heyday while preserving an important reminder of this frontier town's place in American industrial history.