Preservation and community services go hand in hand.

We were thrilled to present a 2020 Preservation Award to Open Doors and project team for the Rehabilitation of the Boese, Peppard Company Lace Mill to become The Smilow Center in Norwalk.

When the Boese, Peppard Company opened its lace mill in 1904, Norwalk boasted 28 companies involved in the garment industry. Today, the mill, listed on the State Register of Historic Places, is one of only five remaining buildings from that once-thriving business.

In 2007 Open Doors (then called the Norwalk Emergency Shelter) acquired the abandoned Building, with the vision of adapting it to complement the Shelter’s nearby facility. The old Structure was upgraded to meet current codes while preserving the historic appearance of the robust timber and brick building.

The nonprofit facility now provides much-needed services, including a job training center; a clothing area; a community health center offering both routine medical care and mental health and substance abuse treatment; and sixteen efficiency apartments for single men, many of whom are veterans. Two of the units are backed by Norwalk Hospital, to provide medical monitoring for recently discharged patients with nowhere else to go.

Project team:  Open Doors, Gill & Gill Architects, Peterson Engineering Group, Archer Engineering,  Kluetsch Consulting,  Heritage Resources,  PAC Group Construction Managers, Smilow Charitable Trust