The Ashworth and Jones Factory is a historic building at 1511 Main Street in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
. It is one of the architecturally finest mid 19th century factory buildings in the city. Built in 1870 and repeatedly enlarged, most of its sections retain high quality brickwork and mid-19th century Victorian styling. The factory was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1980.
The complex has been converted into condominium residences known as Kettle Brook Lofts.
Description and history
The former Ashworth and Jones Factory complex is located in far southwestern Worcester, near the town line with
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
, on the south side of Main Street (
Massachusetts Route 9
Route 9 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts. Along with U.S. Route 20 (US 20), Route 2, and Interstate 90, Route 9 is one of the major east–west routes of Massachusetts. The western terminus is near the center of the cit ...
). The complex consists of a series of buildings that roughly form a U shape. The oldest portion is a four-story brick building, in which windows are set in recessed corbelled wall panels, with pilaster-like piers separating the windows. The lowest floor has windows only facing the ravine below where Kettle Brook flows. There is a clock tower on one corner that is topped by a flared mansard roof. The attached additions to the main block are one and two stories in height, and continue the styling and materials used in the original block, despite a forty-year construction range.
The factory site used for industrial purposes beginning early in the 19th century, and was purchased by Thomas Ashworth and Edward Jones in 1861, where they manufactured
shoddy
Recycled wool, rag wool or shoddy is any woollen textile or yarn made by shredding existing fabric and re-spinning the resulting fibres. Textile recycling is an important mechanism for reducing the need for raw wool in manufacturing.
Shoddy was ...
fabric (using recycled materials). The buildings in which they first operated have not survived. The present building's main block was built in 1870. In the 1880s the business was taken over by E. D. Thayer, who built many of the additions, and manufactured woolens until his death in 1907. George Duffy acquired the facility in 1910, and again enlarged the premises.
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See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashworth And Jones Factory
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Industrial buildings completed in 1870
National Register of Historic Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts
1870 establishments in Massachusetts