Davol Mills, Fall River Massachusetts
The Davol Mills are the only remaining major mill structures in the city with French mansard roofs. The No. 1 Mill was built of brick in 1867-68, and three years later the No, 2 Mill was built. The original brick structures consisted of a basement or ground floor with three stories above; later an upper floor was built of frame construction at the mansard roof level. The boiler house and storehouses along Plymouth Avenue and Morgan Street were added 1890 to 1909.
Dimensions of the major wings: No. 1: 73'-0" X 225'-0"; ground floor plus four stories. No. 2: 73'-0" X 214'-0" (oblique); ground floor plus four stories. The exterior load-bearing walls are of red brick, 2'-1 1/2" (first) to 1'-5 1/2" (third) in thicknesses in the window spandrels; between the windows the walls are 4" thicker. Header bonding courses are spaced quite at random.
The interior framing consists of splined heavy plank structural floor (10" x 4") on heavy wood beams (12" x 14") supported by two rows of regularly spaced wood columns, 11-1" diameter (groumd floor), 10" diameter (first), 8" diameter (second), 7" diameter (third). The roof beams (12" X 15") are supported by square wood posts (8" x 8").
