Faribault Woolen Mills
|
Faribault Woolen Mill Company
|
|
Faribault Woolen Mills from the northwest
|
|
 
|
|
| Location | 1500 2nd Avenue NW, Faribault, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°18′25″N 93°16′21″W / 44.30694°N 93.27250°WCoordinates: 44°18′25″N 93°16′21″W / 44.30694°N 93.27250°W |
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1892–1971 |
| NRHP Reference # | 12000283 |
| Designated | May 23, 2012 |
The Faribault Woolen Mill Company is a textile manufacturing company in Faribault, Minnesota, United States, that produces and sells wool blankets and other woolen products. Its products included ingeo, cotton, acrylic and wool bed blankets, pillows, mattresses, pads, and baby blankets, and wool, ingeo and blend throws. The company primarily serves various enterprise sectors. It offers its products through its store in Faribault and nationwide through retailers.
The Faribault Woolen Mill Company's building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 for having state-level significance in the theme of industry. It was nominated for being one of the largest and oldest fully integrated woolen mills in Minnesota.
The plant closed in 2009, but reopened in September 2011 under new private ownership. At the time it closed in 2009, Faribault Woolen Mills produced more than half of the new wool blankets made in the United States and was one of the few remaining woolen mills in the country.
The Faribault Woolen Mills building is a product of over one hundred years of expansion. The building is utilitarian, with rectangular massing and sections ranging in height from one to three stories. Wall materials, including brick, concrete block, corrugated metal, and exposed timber and steel framing are in keeping with the property's industrial character. A large surface parking lot extends from the east side of the building around to the south and west sides of the building. The mill is part of an industrial area, which includes a cannery, on the edge of the city's residential core. The exterior of the building is simple and undecorated.
The company invested most of its profits in the interior to improve efficiency in the manufacturing process, with the last reorganization of the machinery occurring in 1971.The most recent major addition dates to that same time. The interior of the building reflects the mill's purpose as well. With the exception of the executive offices, it is industrial in character. Older sections of the building are timber-framed with exposed brick walls.
Before the American Civil War, most woolen goods used in the United States were imported. After the war, domestic wool manufacturing increased as the country became more industrialized. The growth of wool production was aided by the Tariff Acts of 1867. The acts provided protection for domestic wool makers and made them more competitive. In Minnesota, the 1860s saw the beginning of many woolen manufacturing companies.
...
Wikipedia