L ike a medieval fortress or great cathedral, the structure dominates all that is around it.
A great wall separates it from the Merrimack River. Within that rampart, thick, red brick walls, punctuated by windows of many shapes and sizes, rise from the ground, surrounding interior courtyard spaces that can be entered only by crossing a single bridge over the deep water of a canal. Brick or wood stair towers placed along the exterior of the walls provide the only means of entry to upper floors. A single bell tower dominates the central courtyard. For more than 100 years the bell called people to this place on a daily basis, not to protect the city from invaders or to worship, but to work.