The Florence Mill, known later as the U. S. Envelope Building, is a former industrial facility located at 121 West Main Street in the
Rockville section of
Vernon, Connecticut. Developed in stages between 1864 and 1916, it exhibits changes in mill construction technology over that period, include a rare early example of Second Empire architecture. Now converted into senior housing, it 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 1978.
Description and history
The former Florence Mill complex is located in Vernon's industrial Rockland section, on the south side of West Main Street opposite its junction with Ward Street. It is set on of land between West Main Street and the
Hockanum River, which historically provided its power. Its main building is a four-story brick structure, more than in length, with a Second Empire-style mansard roof and an Italianate tower. To this are appended a number of later buildings, also built out of brick, with later industrial Italianate features.
[
The Florence Mill was built in 1864 to replace an earlier ]textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
which was destroyed by fire.brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
building
A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...
in Rockville, and continued in the production of textiles. It was purchased in 1881 by White & Corbin, who expanded the building several times, making it the largest manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...
plant in the United States for the manufacture of envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card.
Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a shor ...
s. The building was used for this purpose by White & Corbin and its successors (including the U. S. Envelope Company), until 1975.[ Currently, the building is used as an independent living retirement home and has 113 apartments.
]
See also
*
References
*Lewis Angel Corbin Biography, as recorded in: Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Winham Counties Connecticut, Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of many of the early settled families, Publisher: J.H.Beers & Co., CHICAGO; 1903 P. 212
{{National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Second Empire architecture in Connecticut
Queen Anne architecture in Connecticut
Italianate architecture in Connecticut
Industrial buildings completed in 1864
Vernon, Connecticut
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Apartment buildings in Connecticut
Buildings and structures in Tolland County, Connecticut
Residential buildings in Connecticut
Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut
Envelopes
1864 establishments in Connecticut