167. New Lives for Old Factories: Cheshire’s Ball & Socket Arts

What’s being done to save the state’s industrial history? In today’s episode, Producer Mary Donohue talks to Renee Tribert, Preservation Services Coordinator for adaptive reuse and redevelopment for industrial buildings at Preservation Connecticut. Podcast audio engineer Patrick O’Sullivan and Donohue share some of their favorite places to go around the state where you can see old mills and factories that are being used for fun new uses and we hear from Ilona Somogyi, co-founder of Ball & Socket Arts in Cheshire, Connecticut about an old mill with a Cinderella story that will open this summer.

 

Connecticut was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.  Small brooks and rivers were dammed to create waterpower that turned machinery and the state’s textile, precision manufacturing and metal casting industries were born. Thousands of products were produced and the state attracted investors, inventors and immigrants to work in the factories. But as industry moved out in the last half of the 20th century, these cathedrals of industry become vacant and abandoned across the state.

 

For more information about organizations and museums mentioned in this episode, go to:

Preservation Connecticut https://preservationct.org/

Mills https://preservationct.org/mills

 

Ball & Socket Arts https://ballandsocket.org/

493 W. Main Street, Cheshire, CT 06410

 

The Carousel Museum https://www.thecarouselmuseum.org/

95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010

 

The Archive https://linktr.ee/archivebridgeport

118 Congress Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604

 

Mongers Market https://www.mongers-market.com/

1155 Railroad Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605

 

Two Roads Brewery  https://tworoadsbrewing.com/

1700 Stratford Avenue, Stratford, CT 06615

 

Real Art Ways  https://www.realartways.org/

56 Arbor Street, Hartford, CT 06106

 

Parkville Market https://parkvillemarket.com/

1400 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06106

 

Photo Credit: Ball & Socket Arts Cheshire, CT

 

Fresh episodes of Grating the Nutmeg are brought to you every two weeks with support from our listeners. You can help us continue to produce the podcast by donating directly to Grating the Nutmeg on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org   Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg donation link at the bottom. Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated-we thank you!

 

This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/

 

Donohue may be reached at marydonohue@comcast.net

 

Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.