The Saco–Pettee Machine Shops is a historic factory complex at 156 Oak Street in the

Newton Upper Falls Newton Upper Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Massachusetts, United States. The village is listed as the Newton Upper Falls Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Geography The area ...

area of

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...

. Although the area has an industrial history dating to the early 19th century, the oldest buildings in this complex, consisting of about thirteen brick buildings, were built in 1892. The property, a major economic force in the development of Newton Upper Falls, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986. It was home to Clark's N.A., the North American home base to Clark's Shoes, makers of fine footwear, until they relocated to Waltham Ma. in October 2016.

Description and history

The Saco–Pettee Machine Shops are located at the northwest corner of Oak and Needham Streets, just north of a bend in the

Charles River The Charles River (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ), sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles, is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Hopkinton to Boston along a highly me ...

. It consists of a cluster of interconnected brick buildings, one to three stories in height, most of which date to the turn of the 20th century. All are built out of red brick, and most were designed by Lockwood, Green & Co. of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, giving them a consistent appearance. Although the site has been used since the 1830s for industrial purposes, nothing is known to survive from that period. Otis Pettee began manufacturing equipment for the processing of cotton in the 1823, at first for a

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

located downstream on the Charles. In 1830 he established his own shop on this site, and began a profitable textile equipment processing manufacturer that supplied mills from

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The business was continued by two generations of descendants, incorporating as the Pettee Machine Shop in 1880. The oldest surviving building of this complex was built in

1893 Events January * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * January 6 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress; th ...

, when the business began specializing in the production of

punched card A punched card (also punch card or punched-card) is a stiff paper-based medium used to store digital information via the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Developed over the 18th to 20th centuries, punched cards were widel ...

s for controlling looms. In 1897 Pettee merged with the Saco Water Power Shop, expanding its product line to include virtually all mill equipment except looms. The next major period of expansion was 1910–1913, highlighted by the company's acquisition of Lowell Machine Shops in 1912. Business declined in the 1920s, and the company closed its Newton operation in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

, consolidating operations at

Saco, Maine Saco ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as Saco Valley Shopping Center. General Dynamics ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saco-Pettee Machine Shops National Register of Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Newton, Massachusetts Industrial buildings completed in 1893

Description and history

See also

References