The transformation of a Civil War-era mill into a 70-unit residential community has earned a 2026 Preservation Connecticut Award of Merit.
The Oxoboxo Lofts adaptive reuse project in Uncasville, Connecticut has received a 2026 Preservation Connecticut Award of Merit, recognizing the successful transformation of a historic mill into housing while preserving an important part of the state’s industrial heritage.
Located along Oxoboxo Brook in Montville, the redevelopment converted a deteriorated mill property into a residential community with approximately 70 apartments, including both market-rate and affordable housing. The project demonstrates how historic structures can be repositioned to meet modern housing needs while maintaining architectural character and cultural significance.
BSC provided civil engineering, transportation engineering, landscape architecture, and permitting services for the redevelopment. The work included a comprehensive redesign of the formerly overgrown and deteriorated site to support safe, functional residential use. Improvements included new parking and circulation systems, drainage infrastructure, utilities, and ADA-accessible routes.
To improve access across the site’s steep terrain, the design incorporated walking paths, seating areas, high-efficiency lighting, and a series of custom metal stairs and walkways with illuminated handrails. These elements create safe, connected routes throughout the property while complementing the historic setting.
The project required significant engineering innovation due to the presence of Oxoboxo Brook, which flows directly beneath the mill building and places the structure within the FEMA floodway. BSC conducted advanced hydraulic analysis and flood management design to meet Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Flood Management Certification requirements.
A companion project also addressed long-term flood resilience through removal of a historic high-hazard dam located north of the property. That effort required detailed hydraulic analysis of the existing training walls, along with design for construction access, water management, erosion control, and stream restoration. Removing the dam improved environmental conditions, reduced downstream flood risk, and supported flood compliance for the mill redevelopment.
BSC also supported the project through construction, providing site visits for construction observation, floodplain elevation surveys, grading investigations, design clarification sketches, and punch list preparation to help guide the project through completion.
The award reflects a strong collaborative effort among BSC, Dakota Partners Inc., Paul B. Bailey Architect LLC, Aztech Engineers, Inc., MaGrann Associates, Morrissey Engineering, LLC, Down to Earth Consulting, and James C. Sexton, Ph.D.
Oxoboxo Lofts has also received additional recognition for excellence in historic preservation and design, including the 2025 AIA Connecticut Elizabeth Mills Brown Award of Excellence, along with a Commendation for Masonry Preservation.
Through thoughtful planning, engineering innovation, and historic stewardship, the Oxoboxo Lofts project demonstrates how complex historic properties can be transformed into resilient housing and renewed community assets.