A new lease on life.  The Cornish Company, who previously occupied this building, sold out in 1921. In 1926, John J "Socks" Farrell, a former major league baseball player, converted the front part (pictured here) into a hotel called the Farrell Arms Plaza, while the remainder of the factory was occupied by manufacturing concerns. The lobby and dining room had on display many valuable antiques, some from early Colonial history, which Farrell had spent years collecting. On Dec 15, 1934, a fire completely destroyed the factory section, and gutted the hotel. Nearly all of Farrell's antiques were damaged or destroyed, mostly by water, as the fire had barely reached the lobby. There was talk of rebuilding, or using the lot for the post office, but neither idea materialized.  (Photo by Harry Minassian; caption by Thomas Allen Kelley)