Louttit Laundry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Louttit Laundry
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Masthead of Louttit Laundry in 1912
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 Location in Rhode Island
Location in the United States
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| Location | Providence, Rhode Island |
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| Built | 1906, 1925 |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Demolished | 2008 |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000197 |
| Added to NRHP | March 18, 2004 |
Louttit Laundry was once the biggest laundry company in Rhode Island. It had 150 employees and 16 stores across the state. The company's main building at 93 Cranston Street in Providence, Rhode Island was very old. It was even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Louttit Laundry company was sold in 1985. It then closed its doors in 1987. The Cranston Street building was built in 1906 and made bigger in 1925. Sadly, a fire damaged it in 2001, and it was taken down in 2008.
Contents
History of Louttit Laundry
William E. Louttit started his laundry business in 1896. It was first called "William Louttit's Home Hand Laundry." His business grew very quickly.
By 1912, Louttit Laundry had opened many new locations. A receipt from that year shows new stores opened in 1897, 1899, and 1902. The main office was at 307 Broad Street. There was also a "downtown office" at 171 Westminster Street.
The Building at 93 Cranston Street
The main building was a long, two-story brick structure. It was built in 1906. It had a simple but classic style called Georgian Colonial Revival. An office part was added to one end in 1925. The front of the building had a special entrance with a pointed roof design.
Louttit Moves to Cranston Street
Louttit Laundry moved to 93 Cranston Street in 1918. Before that, another company called What Cheer Laundry was there. Louttit bought What Cheer Laundry, which had been operating since 1901.
The building Louttit used was built by What Cheer in 1906. Louttit made it much bigger in 1925. At that time, Louttit was the largest laundry in Rhode Island. It had over 150 workers and 16 different locations.
Sale and Demolition
The large building complex was sold in 1985 for $1.2 million. It closed just two years later. In 2001, a fire badly damaged the original 1906 part of the building. Only the 1925 addition was left standing.
Over the years, the ground under the building became polluted. This was due to cleaning chemicals and heating oil. The land needed a lot of cleaning before it could be used again. In 2005, the city received a grant of $200,000. This money came from the Environmental Protection Agency to help clean up the site.
The building was empty from 1987 until 2008. It appeared on lists of buildings that needed to be saved many times. The city took ownership of the property in 1999.
Sadly, the pollution in the soil was so bad that the building had to be removed. Even trying to save just the front part of the building was not possible. The city's Historic District Commission allowed the demolition in October 2007. In December 2008, the entire building was taken down. As of 2012, the site is still an empty lot.
Efforts to Save the Building
Many people wanted to save the Louttit Laundry building. The Providence Preservation Society tried to get attention for the site. They listed it on their "Most Endangered List" seven times.
The building was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. This is a special list of important historical places in the United States. Being on this list helps protect old buildings.
