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A fine and typical mid-nineteenth-century brick mill with stair towers on both east and west sides of the main block. The more visible west side, along Whipple Street, reveals the less altered of the two towers, here with a two-story relieving arch nicely framing both the round-head windows at each story and a similar form framing the belfry below the distinctive and unusual helm roof. The early twentieth-century first story addition, also on this elevation, illustrates the differences in construction techniques between the thick, flat walls punched by small windows of the nineteenth century above, and the bold, pier-defined lower story with more ample window openings. Built as a cotton mill, the building became home to the American Silk Spinning Company in the early twentieth century. By the early 1930s the company was experimenting with synthetic-blend textiles, one of the first to do so. Because of its venture into synthetics, this remained one of the last textile mills in production in Providence, finally closing its doors in 1962.

– 2003 Guide to Providence Architecture

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© 2024 Guide to Providence Architecture. All rights reserved. Design by J. Hogue at Highchair designhaus, with development & support by Kay Belardinelli.