Roxbury Carpet Company Office Building

Framingham, MA, 1948 by Milton Koelb of Anderson-Nichols

The idea of a mill at the Sudbury River falls in Saxonville is as old as European settlement in the region itself, but the current iteration dates back to 1824. It was originally built as a wool mill before being taken over by Michael Simpson for his Roxbury Carpet Company. These two centuries of expansion and development resulted in an eclectic mix of architectural styles, but our focus today is the 1948 office addition along the Central Street facade. 

The two story structure appears quite simple with large, repeating windows filled mostly with glass blocks allowing for natural light and only as much ventilation as necessary for office spaces. Decorative elements such as rusticated corners and extended concrete sills give the appearance and feel of banded windows,l and a streamline metal canopy and chamfered windows highlight the entrance. 

After the mill shut down in 1972, the entire 10 building complex was converted into a business incubator, housing over 70 small businesses within. The Central Street building still acts primarily as office spaces – both for building management and multiple companies – while also housing artist studios on the second floor. These studios are open to the public the second Friday of every month for Open Studios.