The Crompton Loom Works is an historic industrial complex of the

Crompton Corporation Crompton Corporation (, formerly Crompton and Knowles) was a chemical research, production, sales and distribution company headquartered in Middlebury, Connecticut. The company produced specialty chemicals used for polymers, fire suppressants and ...

at 132-142 Green 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 ...

. The factory manufactured looms for textile factories. With its original portion dating to 1860, the complex is one of the oldest surviving industrial sites in the city. The facility was established by

George Crompton George Crompton (23 March 1829 – 29 December 1886) was an American inventor, manufacturer, and businessman and the son of William Crompton, an inventor. He is best known for his invention, perfection, and popularization of the Crompton Loom, ...

, whose father William had invented the first power loom for weaving fancy fabrics. The younger Crompton's business would become of the most significant employers in the city, and his innovative looms would revolutionize the textile industry. Crompton and his successors would operate the loom manufacturing works at Green Street well into the 1960s. The manufacturing capabilities on the site were applied to producing can packaging machines and bowling pinsetters. Capabilities at the Green Street facility included machining, drop hammer forging, a cast iron foundry (which also produced ductile and malleable iron castings), wood working . and pattern making, along with a materials testing lab.. The building has subsequently been adapted to other uses. The complex 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, and included as part of the

Blackstone Canal Historic District The Blackstone Canal was a waterway linking Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island (and Narragansett Bay) through the Blackstone Valley via a series of locks and canals during the early 19th century. History The initiative for th ...

in 1995. The Crompton Loom Works is located south of downtown Worcester, at the junction Green and Harrison Streets. It is a complex of connected brick buildings, ranging in height from one to three stories. The building's style is industrial Italianate, with quoined building corners and corbelling on the eave of the main tower. Most windows are rectangular, but there are several in an older section that are set in round-arch openings. When first built, the main building was only two stories tall, and was altered several times, with the tower and third floor added in the 1880s. Crompton Loom Works

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Worcester, Massachusetts Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Italianate architecture in Massachusetts Industrial buildings completed in 1860 National Register of Historic Places in Worcester, Massachusetts Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Chemtura Weaving equipment

See also

References