Market Street | Hagley  | Curtis Paper Mill

The City of Wilmington is promoting the development of a 225-room hotel, offices, and parking complex called the Renaissance Center for the 400 block of Market Street.  This high rise structure would be built at the cost of demolition of many historic structures on this block of Market Street and on 4th Street between Market and King. It is located at the heart of the Lower Market Street National Historic District and the Market Street City Historic District, and is adjacent to the Historical Society of Delaware, Willingtown Square, Old Town Hall, and the exciting Ships Tavern District project. The massing and scale of this new structure would adversely affect the neighboring historic structures, not to mention the actual loss of a number of historic resources. There is no reason that historic preservation and sensitive infill cannot be an integral component of this revitalization. A portion of the block is vacant and could accommodate sensitive development to serve the new Justice Center, while the remaining historic structures on the block could be adaptively reused while keeping the historic fabric and scale of Market Street intact. No feasibility study has yet been undertaken to prove the need for a high-rise office building and hotel.

The New Castle County Review Board has released a demolition permit for the Hagley Blacksmith Shop/Garage, a circa 1903 structure built in conjunction with a complex of buildings referred to as the Brandywine Shops that were built to support the DuPont Company’s powder works at Hagley. This complex, located at the current entrance to Hagley, included the Brandywine Machine Shop, the blacksmith shop, a brass foundry, and a powder keg production unit. When the powder yards were closed in 1921, many of these buildings became part of an adjoining estate, and the blacksmith’s shop was converted to a garage. In 1987, Hagley acquired the building and it has been maintained as a garage and service building. After an extensive search for alternatives, the blacksmith shop/garage building has been identified for demolition to accommodate site features necessary for the preservation and adaptive reuse of the 1903 Brandywine Machine Shop.

Curtis Paper Mill in Newark has been vacant since 1999 when the City of Newark purchased the property after the Curtis Paper Company’s milling operations ceased. The site is now slated for a redevelopment project that may incorporate multipurpose recreational, cultural, and possibly commercial/industrial uses. It is not clear what, if any, portions of the building will be preserved and adaptively reused.

The massive brick structure is a landmark in Newark and stands today as a unique physical expression of the city’s economic, social, and technological history. A paper mill has operated at the site since 1789, when Thomas Meeteer set up his milling operation on the White Clay Creek. In 1848, brothers George and Solomon Curtis purchased the property, formed the firm of Curtis and Brother, and christened their new mill as the Nonantum Mill, named for the Indian name for their hometown in Massachusetts. During their ownership, the brothers introduced new machinery that improved production and provided a variety of options for production. In 1887, the original stone and frame mill and accessory buildings were razed for the construction a new mill, which was completed in 1888 and now stands at the core of the existing structure. Subsequent expansion in 1896 modernized the mill and included the erection of the steam tower that is perhaps one of the most recognizable elements of the mill. Additional construction during various decades of the twentieth century created the building that stands today. Four houses directly were built in 1892 across the road from the mill to house mill workers, including the mill supervisor, and their families. While the mill itself is not on the National Register of Historic Places, these residences are listed on the Register.

Curtis Paper’s Newark mill is recognized for its role in producing paper for Fortune magazine, Alfred A. Knopf publishing, and the Smithsonian Institution. The mill’s proudest moment came when it was selected to make the rag vellum for peace treaties signed in 1946 for World War II. Over the years, the mill garnered many awards for its paper and was a leader in the production of colored papers. Curtis also supplied publishers with high grades of paper for special publications, including art reproductions and UNICEF cards. (Information in this article derived from The Curtis Paper Company by Constance Cooper. For a full history of the Curtis Paper Mill, please consult Cooper’s book.)