Grand Forks Woolen Mills is a building located on the corner of Third Avenue North and North Third Street in

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, designed by architect John W. Ross. A three-story construction approximately by in size, it is recorded as being built in 1895. Constructed of brick, the architectural style has been described as Commercial vernacular. The building, which is at the northern extremity of the historic commercial district, 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 1983.

History

The building was constructed at a cost of US$17,000 for a woolen mill business that had started to trade in 1892. It was situated on a x plot, which was a typical size for a development area in Grand Forks at that time. It was used for various processes involved in the conversion of wool to cloth, including

carding Carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passing the fibres between differentially moving su ...

spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

and sewing. It also contained offices and retail space. A historical survey observed that the building was "the object of intense pride ... a local symbol of economic independence from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, and the focus of Grand Forks' hopes of becoming a manufacturing center." The presence of the mill removed the necessity to ship wool to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

for conversion, and so it enabled both higher payments to local farmers for their raw materials and lower prices to consumers. The woolen business, which at one point employed 75 people, was a fairly short-lived venture. It ceased operations some time between 1901 and 1906 as it became impossible for it to compete with larger enterprises such as the

North Star Woolen Mill The North Star Woolen Mill, now the North Star Lofts, is a building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The building, located in the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, was originally a textile mill for the North Star Woolen Compa ...

in Minneapolis, its Grand Forks location being too distant both from sufficient supplies of raw wool and from consumer markets. A single-

story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

extension was added on the northern aspect. In 1916 the building was gutted by fire. Following the fire, the one-story addition was destroyed. However, with the walls still standing, the main building was rebuilt using a fire-proof construction method in 1918 and at that point included a concrete floor. It was then used for many years as a garage for Hanson Ford.

References

{{NRHP in Grand Forks County, North Dakota Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota Buildings designated early commercial in the National Register of Historic Places Industrial buildings completed in 1895 National Register of Historic Places in Grand Forks, North Dakota Textile mills in the United States Woollen mills 1895 establishments in North Dakota

History

Further reading

References