History of Hood Rubber plant tells story of Armenians in Watertown

by Tom Vartabedian

Published: Wednesday February 17, 2010

Filmmaker Roger Hagopian.

Watertown, Mass. - Former Bentley College President Gregory Adamian worked there. So did Tufts University guru John Baronian and prominent artist Arshile Gorky until he overstepped his boundaries and got dismissed.

The Hood Rubber Company proved an ideal sanctuary for many an Armenian immigrant who survived the genocide as well as prominent Armenian-Americans throughout the early 20th Century.

"Where else could we go?" reflected Areka (Janikian) Der Kazarian, who recalls earning $18 a week doing piecework as a cementer. "I would turn the money over to my parents and get a quarter back for spending purposes. Hood Rubber opened its doors to immigrants from many foreign lands who had no language or working skills. We learned it on the job."

Eyewitness accounts of their heyday inside the sweat shop is the subject of an hour-long film documented by noted videographer Roger Hagopian called "Destination Watertown: The Armenians of Hood Rubber."

The project, which began in 2003 as a short highlight film, reached fruition after six years of research and interviews, delving into the lives of Armenian refugees looking to establish a decent lifestyle in America, in this case Watertown.

The film contains stories and reflections of former Armenian employees and East Watertown residents, interspersed with historical photographs, maps, documents, artifacts and images of the old factory, once the largest of its kind in the world.

It represents a story that had to be told, considering it was very much the fabric of Armenian life at the time. Workers recount life on the conveyer belt and exposure to toxic chemicals, yet considered themselves fortunate to have a job. Hood Rubber was their neighborhood.

"More importantly, this factory was the reason for the establishment of the Armenian community in Watertown," Hagopian brought out. "It intrigues me that so many Armenians were connected to this massive complex of 65 buildings once located in East Watertown. For those who may never know a genocide survivor, it is essential their stories be told and their history shared."

The emotions he shared with immigrants ran the gamut from sadness and outrage to pride and joy. The more Hagopian researched, the more he discovered. Armenians arrived here following the genocide of 1896 during the Sultan Abdul Hamid II regime.

"For many, the work was hazardous," he discovered. "Employees were coated with rubber after a long shift in which they were paid to do piecework. When they were eventually able to turn out products in less than a full day, their pay was reduced. That was the reward they got for being so efficient."

Despite the hardships, Hagopian realizes that without Hood Rubber, there would be no Armenian community in Watertown such as we have today.

He dedicated the work to his grandmother, Hranoush Hagopian, and Baronian, a prominent Tufts graduate, both of whom worked there. Baronian passed on before the film was completed. He was a foreman in charge of six conveyer belts and 65 employees in his heyday.

"As a result of my conversations with Baronian, I was able to conduct a series of interviews with former Armenian employees of the plant," said the 60-year-old filmmaker, whose father Hurire, a genocide survivor, also worked there. "No doubt, this turned into a most gratifying piece of historical preservation, considering nothing had been done about this subject relative to the establishment of the Armenian community in Watertown."

Hagopian, who debuted his film at Watertown Free Library Dec. 19, found Armenians and non-Armenians who grew up in East Watertown, adjacent to Hood Rubber, and recorded their impressions. One resident, George Mooza, provided 30 photographs of the neighborhood and factory around Bigelow Avenue. They met through a mutual friend, the late Mary Balyosian, aunt of jazz guitarist John Baboian.

A stabilizing image of the plant with its domineering smoke stack serves as an icon in the production. By the turn of the 19th century, Armenians had found gainful employment there, helping to manufacture 3,000 shoes a day to supply an international market.

Chain migration was a stabilizing factor in the plant's success. By 1920, one-fifth of America's footwear came from Hood Rubber. The company was absorbed by BF Goodwich in 1929 and added tires to his footgear before closing in 1969, drawing an end to the Armenian workforce there.

"Armenians represented 5-7% of the workforce," indicated historian-author Dr. Robert Mirak, who supplied the narration. "If it wasn't for Hood, Armenians would have migrated to the outlying regions. They were overachievers. Many sacrificed their school and family life for the factory."

Mirak is the author of "Torn Between Two Lands" and provided knowledge of the early migration period. Other narrators are Marc Mamigonian of NAASR and Hagopian's wife Lynda.

Work proved debilitating and exhausting at times. Many fell prey to the fumes and became ill. Women were becoming the breadwinners for their families and outnumbered men on the assembly line, especially during World War 2. It was not uncommon to hear Armenian folk music emanating from the loud speaker in an effort to get workers further motivated.

Gorky's artwork wound up costing him a job, according to documentation. Seems he was fired for drawing on the soles of shoes and painting on the roof of the building. At the time, he was living in his dad's home at 86 Dexter Ave. and had yet to establish a niche as an artist. No doubt, it was Hood that provided him the rudiments of fame.

Der Kazarian, a 97-year-old, is the aunt of noted musician and assistant professor Leon Janikian, who also appears in the film and details the woman's history.

Other testimonies are rendered by Bob Sanasarian, Steve Tashjian, John Airasian and Kevin Magharian, another musician, whose mother Rose worked there, as did Betty Gulezian, mother to Rev. Joanne Hartunian.