Florence Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Florence Mill
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Florence Mill in 2006
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 121 W. Main St., Rockville, Connecticut |
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| Area | 6.4 acres (2.6 ha) |
| Built | 1864 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire, Italianate, Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002858 |
| Added to NRHP | July 18, 1978 |
The Florence Mill, also known as the U. S. Envelope Building, is an old factory building in Rockville, Connecticut, which is part of Vernon, Connecticut. It was built over many years, starting in 1864 and finishing around 1916. This building shows how factory construction changed over time. It even has a special design called Second Empire architecture, which was rare for factories back then. Today, the Florence Mill has been turned into apartments for older people. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 because of its important history.
What is the Florence Mill?
The Florence Mill complex is located in the industrial part of Vernon, called Rockville. It sits on about 6.4 acres of land between West Main Street and the Hockanum River. The river was important because it used to power the factory.
The main building is made of brick and has four stories. It is over 200 feet long. It features a unique "mansard roof" and a tall "Italianate tower." A mansard roof has four sides, each with two slopes, making the top floor feel like an attic. Italianate style often includes tall, narrow windows and decorative towers. Over the years, more brick buildings were added to the complex, showing different factory styles from later times.
A History of Production
The Florence Mill was first built in 1864. It replaced an older textile factory that had burned down. A textile mill makes fabric and cloth. By 1881, the Florence Mill was known as the largest brick building in Rockville. It continued to produce textiles for many years.
Later in 1881, a company called White & Corbin bought the mill. They started making envelopes there. They expanded the building several times, making it the biggest factory in the United States for making envelopes! White & Corbin and the companies that followed them, like the U. S. Envelope Company, used the building for this purpose until 1975.
The Mill Today
After being an envelope factory for so long, the building found a new purpose. Today, the Florence Mill is a place where older adults live independently. It has 113 apartments inside the historic building.
