Multiple economic downturns have not been kind to this beautiful stone mill building in the historic village of Hope. This mill is the third to sit on this land, and was built in 1844 by the Providence firm Brown & Ives. It was incorporated as The Hope Company in 1877 and became a major textile manufacturer in the northeast. Over 25% of the homes that remain in Hope Village were originally built and owned by The Hope Company. Driving along the side streets around the mill you can still see the 19th century row houses that were used as mill housing, most of which maintain their original architecture. In 1924, the complex was sold to The Lonsdale Company, but when manufacturing fled the area in search of cheap overseas labor, this mill - as well as the others in the Lonsdale district - closed. This building is still up for sale, but with each passing year it's less and less likely that the structure can be salvaged.
Post processing started with a warm tone filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
