American Mills Web Shop facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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American Mills Web Shop
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 114-152 Orange Ave., West Haven, Connecticut |
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| Area | 4.9 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1903 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001276 |
| Added to NRHP | March 10, 1983 |
The American Mills Web Shop is an old factory building in West Haven, Connecticut. It is a special historical place. This building shows how factories were built between 1903 and 1914. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Contents
Exploring the American Mills Web Shop
The American Mills Web Shop is in West Haven's Allingtown area. You can find it where Front Street and Orange Avenue meet. Orange Avenue is also known as U.S. Route 1.
What Does the Factory Look Like?
The factory has two main parts. There is a large building called a weave shed. This is where fabrics were made. It is a single-story building along Front Street. The other main part is the office building. It faces Orange Avenue and has two stories.
Behind these buildings, you can still see an old smokestack. There used to be more buildings here. But those have been taken down over time. The whole area is about 5 acres big.
The Special Sawtooth Roof
The weave shed has a very cool roof. It is called a "sawtooth" roof. This means it has many peaks and valleys, like the teeth of a saw. This design was very smart for its time. It let lots of natural sunlight into the factory. This helped the workers see what they were doing.
History of the American Mills Web Shop
The factory was started in 1903. A company called the Narrow Fabrics Company built it. They made special elastic fabrics. These fabrics were used for many things.
What Did They Make?
The company made elastic fabrics for industrial machine belts. They also made parts for zippers. Their fabrics were even used for brake linings and car safety belts.
The company grew very quickly. They made the factory much bigger in 1909 and again in 1914. In 1914, the company joined with others. Its name then changed to the American Mills Web Company. The factory kept making products until 1970. In the early 1980s, the building was fixed up. It was then used for other purposes.
