Documenting Change since 2002

American Textile Mill

An almost 100,000 square foot mill in an industrial section of Pawtucket that has been used as studio space for 30 years

images of this Property

  • A four-story, twelve bay wide main red brick building, nine bays deep, with an ornate stair tower on the south east corner featuring a group of three arched windows, topped by brickwork design outlining five square crosses, topped by diamond brick patterns surrounding three circular windows, all topped by a double hip roof.
    Date unknown (likely 1900–1910), before the 1920 weave shed and fourth floor penthouse — Rhode Island Photograph Collection, Providence Public Library
  • Date unknown, before the 1920 weave shed but after the fourth floor penthouse — Pawtucket Library collection
  • Sanborn Insurance Map from 1902, Brown University Digital repository. The weave shed has not yet been built and the 4th floor has not been added (note the “3” in the bottom left corner of the building footprint’s outline)
  • Sanborn Insurance Map from 1923, Brown University Digital repository. The weave shed has been built and the 4th floor has been added (note the “4th” along the yellow lines over the main structure, upside down)

31 images: Press to view larger or scroll sideways to see more. Contributions from the Rhode Island Photograph Collection at the Providence Public Library, Pawtucket Library Flickr collection, and the Brown University Digital Repository.

About this Property

Current Tenant

Architecturally, the building is a great example of turn-of-the-century design, with a large tower on the south east corner featuring ornate brickwork. Most windows have arched gables and granite lintels and have been replaced and filled in with glass block. To allow fresh air, at some tenants request, some glass block arrays have had vinyl windows installed. The building was home to a few large companies and businesses at one time, and slowly has been split up into smaller spaces. A lot of odd things have been installed and then removed and then redone in these flexible spaces.

The spaces are now primarily inhabited by artists, musicians, and small manufacturing, craft, or service businesses. The spaces are nice, with a lot of light, hardwoods floors, and decent general upkeep. According to some of the photos, you can see that there is still untouched sections, but that is what makes it so interesting. The building has a lot of quirks, and feels industrial, which makes it more appealing than a cleaned up and sterile space.

Current Events

The property is owned by a group of small real estate companies that also lease space at 545 Pawtucket Avenue, not too far away.

History

Designed by Clarke, Spaulding & Howe, this mill was once the largest lace producer in the country. A three-story brick pier building with 4th story penthouse featuring a 5-story elaborately detailed hip roof tower. The tower is a fine period example and can be seen from the surrounding neighborhood, including traffic on Interstate 95. A later addition of a sawtooth weave shed was added around 1920 on the north side.

From “Pawtucket Past and Present, being a brief account of the beginning and progress of its industries and a resume of the early history of the city,” by the Slater Trust Company, 1917

The largest lace-making plant in the United States is the American Textile Company. Cotton and silk trimming-laces are manufactured here. The company was incorporated in 1899. There are 66 lace-machines at the plant, and about five hundred employees work there. The officers are: Lyman B. Goff, president; Morris F. Conant, secretary and treasurer.

Lyman B. Goff, born 1841, was son of Darius Goff who helped start the Pawtucket Steam Wadding Mill which later became Union Wadding. After the passing of their father in 1891, Lyman and brother Darius ran Union Wadding and saw an expansion of the plant through the 1930s. We imagine that Morris F. Conant was part of the Conant family related to the Conant Thread complex in Pawtucket, but we have not been able to find the connection yet.