HI
History
If you are looking for a unique venue with character that appeals more to your taste, offers an intimate and comfortable feel, and leaves you and your guests in awe, then you have found it.
The Room, located in the Riverfront Mill in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, has been transformed from a productive working mill into a stunning space to host life’s remarkable events. It is rich in history, which is why we’ve maintained some of the original features with brick details and the original wood floors that embody the Room. New stories can be written here, but the old stories will always remain.
In the Tilton Belt building in 1912, Arthur S. Brown commenced production of the first Seamless, continuous woven drive belt. This technological innovation powered American industries for the next century.
Arthur S. Brown was a young telegrapher for the Boston and Maine Railroad when he arrived in Tilton a few years before the turn of the century. He fell in love with a local woman, Belle Peabody, whom he married in 1898, and became associated with Tilton Woolen through his wife’s family connections. In 1912, Mr. Brown opened his own company and began the production of endless belts for use in automobiles. The fortunes of Mr. Brown and his company would be forever changed by his Yankee ingenuity and the ingenuity of his employees.
Ludovic Shiatte went to work for Mr. Brown in 1916 as a shop worker and eventually advanced to the position of overseer and plant superintendent. In 1922, Mr. Shiatte began work on the design of an endless belt that would have no stretch to it. He collaborated with Mr. Brown and the company’s bookkeeper, Gertrude Knapp, in connection with his design and the culmination of their work was the endless power transmission belt described in United States Patent No. 1,545,206, which issued on July 7, 1925.
The endless power transmission belt of Patent No. 1,545,206 was manufactured by forming a loop having a desired size from a strand of twine, string or yarn and then winding another strand of string or yarn around the loop until the body of the belt was built up to the desired size. The key to this winding operation was to maintain a constant tension on the strand being wrapped around the loop so that the entire body of the belt would be under uniform tension. Once fully wound, the body was wrapped with a tape covering and stitched together in a certain manner in order to obtain the desired shape. If a belt having a round cross-section were desired, the belt would be stitched transversely at a number of locations around the belt. If a belt having a V-shaped cross-section were desired, the belt would be stitched at only three locations so as to form a triangle.
The belts produced by the Arthur S. Brown Manufacturing Company came to be known as Tilton Endless Belts and were used extensively by Henry Ford, most notably in the Model T. In fact, it was rumored that Ford was so impressed with the belts that he wanted to buy the company. Mr. Ford visited Tilton in the 1920’s along with two similarly famous traveling companions; Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone and toured Brown’s factory. It is ironic that Ford later ended his relationship with Mr. Brown when Firestone started making rubber V-belts. However, the relationship did help to reverse the fortunes of the Arthur S. Brown Manufacturing Company.

OUR ROOMS

LaPiéce is a unique venue because all of the rooms were intentionally designed by Anna to be clean-canvas spaces, where from floor-to-ceiling we would be able to take your Event Design to new levels.
From the copper finishes to the polished reclaimed wood – and from the Edison bulbs to our one-of-a-kind, contemporary pieces featuring artist, Tara Kazmier – each design element was thoughtfully placed. The details of each room provide a simply beautiful clean-canvas space, yet the rooms can be further enhanced through Designs by Anna, to become simply elegant and breathtaking.
Whether your next celebration is small or large, LaPiéce would be honored to host you and your guests! One room or a combination of rooms is the perfect space to hold your event to host anywhere from 20 to 230 guests.
- La Piéce (The Room)
- La Suite (Bridal Suite)
- L’espace (Lounge Room)
- Fete de L’amore (Copper Bar)
Meet the Exécutif Gala Créateur
Anna Yasharian
For over 20 years, Anna Yasharian has been dedicated to designing and planning spectacular celebrations, both private and corporate, in locations throughout New England, New York City, and all the way to the Carolinas. She is intimately involved in virtually every aspect of wedding and event design. Formed by a love for planning & design, Anna married these personalities to create an experience that transforms the event planning process and event spaces into your dream wedding.
