The Richmond Underwear Company Building is a historic industrial facility at 65 Millet Road in
Richmond, Vermont. Built in 1900, it was the town's first major industrial facility, bringing an economic boom to the town. The factory was used for the manufacture of
underwear
Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...
until 1946, and has seen a variety of industrial and commercial uses since then. 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 1992.
Description and history
The Richmond Underwear Company Building stands in the village of Richmond, on the west side of Millet Street, an otherwise residential street off West Main Street (
United States Route 2
U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...
). It is a two-story wood-frame structure, sixteen bays long and seven deep, with a gabled roof topped by a central square gable-roofed cupola. The long street-facing facade has regularly spaced windows on the second level, and a series of irregularly arranged pedestrian entrances, windows, and equipment bays on the first floor.
[ with ]
The Richmond Underwear Company was formed in 1900, in response to a drive by the people of Richmond to attract a business to the town by means of financial inducement. The factory was built in a former apple orchard in seven months of 1900, and became one of Vermont's largest manufacturers of underwear, employing 300 people. This resulted in an influx of workers, and a building boom in the town that rapidly reshaped its character. It was the first building in the town to be fitted with steam heat and electrical power. In 1946 the building was sold to the Cellucord Corporation, a maker of rope from paper products. The building has seen a variety of uses since, and has also had significant periods of vacancy and decay.
[ It presently houses offices.
]
See also
*
* Northwestern Knitting Company Factory building
The Northwestern Knitting Company Factory, also known as Munsingwear Corporation and later as International Market Square, is a former factory building in the Sumner-Glenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis. The company was founded in 1888 by George ...
: underwear factory on the NRHP
* Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory: underwear factory on the NRHP
References
{{NRHP in Chittenden County, Vermont
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont
National Register of Historic Places in Chittenden County, Vermont
Commercial buildings completed in 1900
Buildings and structures in Richmond, Vermont
Undergarments
Textile mills in the United States