Manchester was a silk town. The Cheney family's mills made it one, and the company built an entire community around them. Today the Cheney Brothers Historic District is a National Historic Landmark, listed in 1978: about 175 acres with more than 275 buildings, including 16 surviving mill buildings along Pine and Elm Streets, workers' houses, churches, schools and the Cheney family mansions.
- National Historic Landmark
- Cheney Brothers Historic District, 1978
- District size
- About 175 acres, 275+ buildings
- Company-built housing
- About 210 homes, 1850–1920
- Wider district
- Manchester Historic District, listed 2000
Houses built by a mill company
Between 1850 and 1920 the Cheney company built or acquired roughly 210 single- and multi-family houses for its workers, clustered north and west of the mills. In 1937 the company sold its housing at auction, and the houses passed into private hands one by one. That history shows on the roofs today: streets of houses that started out identical now carry every generation of roofing material.
For homeowners, it means:
- Shared designs, different histories. Your house may match the neighbor's, but its decking and number of layers depend on how each owner re-roofed over 80-plus years.
- Two-family houses with split ownership sometimes have one roof replaced at a time. Coordinate where you can.
- Unused chimneys. Where an old chimney no longer serves a furnace or stove, a roofer may suggest taking it down below the roof line before the new roofing goes on, which removes a common leak point.
Adaptive reuse next door
Several mill buildings are now apartments and offices. The 1914 Yarn Dye House, vacant for decades, began conversion into 57 apartments in 2009. If you own a house near the mills, expect construction traffic and parking limits at times, and plan your dumpster location with the roofer.
Beyond the mills
Much of Manchester, especially to the south and east, was built after World War II. Those Capes, ranches and Colonials are standard shingle replacements. Manchester also borders East Hartford and Glastonbury.
Live in a Cheney-era house or anywhere in Manchester? Call to talk with a roofer about replacing your roof.Mon–Fri 8:30 am–7 pm, Sat 9 am–4 pm (Eastern)
(844) 505-0987Manchester roof replacement questions
- Is my Manchester house in the Cheney Brothers district?
- The Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District covers about 175 acres around the old mills, and the larger Manchester Historic District, listed in 2000, extends into the surrounding residential streets. National Register listing alone does not require approval for a new roof; local historic district rules, if your property falls under them, can. Ask the town.
- Do mill houses have unusual roofs?
- Many were built in repeating designs, so neighbors often share the same roof shape. They tend to be modest wood-frame houses with simple gable roofs, which makes replacement straightforward once the decking is checked.
- Can I replace half of a two-family roof?
- If each half is separately owned, it happens, but the seam between old and new roofing is a weak point. Coordinating with the neighbor so the whole roof is done together gives a better result.