Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company Historic District
|
|
 |
|
 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 34, 44, 55 Franklin & 21, 25 30 Front Sts., Nashua, New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque; Post World War I Industrial |
| NRHP reference No. | 15000919 |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 2015 |
The Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company Historic District is a special collection of old factory buildings. You can find them on the north side of the Nashua River in Nashua, New Hampshire. This area is located on Franklin and Front Streets, just west of Main Street.
The Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company, later known as the Nashua Corporation, built these factories. They started building them in the late 1800s. For many years, this company was a huge employer in Nashua. It was a major place for manufacturing until the mid-1990s. That's when the company's business started to slow down. One of its old storage buildings was turned into homes in the 2000s. The main factory buildings are also being changed into homes right now. This important group of buildings was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Exploring the Historic Nashua Paper Company
What Does the District Look Like?
The Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company complex is in downtown Nashua. It sits on the northwest side, across the Nashua River from the old Nashua Manufacturing Company plant. The factory buildings are nestled between Front Street and a curve in the river. Front Street generally follows the river's path.
This historic area has six buildings. The most important one is a large, four-story brick building. It's built in the Romanesque style. This main building has a long front, about 550-foot (170 m) long, facing Front Street. The oldest part of this building was constructed in 1889. It started as a three-story structure. Over the years, between 1889 and 1940, it was made much bigger. There's also a second large factory building nearby. It looks much more plain and practical.
The Story of the Paper Company
The Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company began in 1849. Three men started a small company. They originally planned to make playing cards for gold miners. But instead, the company ended up making cardboard and glazed paper products. It operated under different names in Nashua for many years.
In 1889, the company officially became the Nashua Card and Glazed Paper Company. By the 1870s, it was the biggest non-textile factory in Nashua. Harry Bixby, a local investor, led the company. He oversaw the building of the main factory. W.B. Page of Clinton, Massachusetts designed this important plant.
By the early 1900s, the company had a lot of debt. In 1904, the Carter Rice Company from Boston, Massachusetts bought it. They created the Nashua Gummed & Coated Paper Company. This new company managed the paper product businesses. Throughout the 20th century, the company grew. It made more products and expanded its operations. However, in the 1990s, the company started to shrink. It finally closed its Nashua location in 2005.
