Putnam Nail Factory Study Report

The Putnam Nail Company/George Lawley & Son Shipyard site consists of two surviving industrial buildings built in 1889-1890 for the Putnam Nail Company. The site is associated with two nationally known enterprises that achieved significant innovations in their fields. The Putnam Nail Company developed specialized nails designed to fasten shoes to the hooves of horses without damaging or injuring the animal. This development was based on a complex process that fashioned finished nails using hot forging and machining to produce nails that would not splinter or fracture during horse shoeing. The George Lawley & Son Shipyard was a prominent builder of yachts and naval vessels through two world wars. The firm was well known and respected for executing designs for America’s Cup contenders during the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s. 12 Ericsson St. (1889) is three stories with a flat roof; the building  is constructed entirely of brick in a manner typical of manufacturing design nationally, and especially in New England, of this period. This otherwise utilitarian building employs decorative embellishments above the window openings and at the main cornice. 12R Ericsson (1890) is a three-story structure with a moderately pitched gable roof with slanted skylights and a monitor roof clerestory that lights the interior space. The original slate roof survives.

Read the Putnam Nail Factory Study Report

(Report amended as of March 29, 2024)

The proposed designation will be discussed and voted upon at a public hearing on April 9, 2024. Please look for the meeting notice in the public notices section of our website.