What presently is a fully occupied residential complex consisting of 100 apartment units and a mix of retail and community spaces was once a derelict inner-city factory building. Smith Edwards Architects was engaged by the owner to design this new residential community within the historic mill buildings.

The resulting project provides unique loft and townhouse units which target both a subsidized and market rate tenancy. One of the buildings of the old forge has been renovated to house a new social and community center, while other portions of the project house retail and restaurant spaces for the neighborhood. Inner courtyards have been redesigned and landscaped to provide play space for families as well as community gardens and green space.

Smith Edwards Architects’ relationship with the developer and the State and Federal funding agencies was particularly strong, and the project was completed within the limited budget and qualified as a historically certified “Tax Act” project.

Billings Forge
Hartford, Connecticut
Billings Forge Limited Partnership
Completed 1981