{"nrhp_refnum":"84002724","name":"Erwin Cotton Mills Company Mill No. 1 Headquarters Building","other_names":["Erwin Square"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W. Main and 9th Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Durham","county":"Durham County","state":"NC","lat":36.008284473500055,"lon":-78.92307036795783,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Erwin Cotton Mills Company Mill No. 1 and its adjoining Headquarters building, a two-story brick textile mill and office complex on a 10.48-acre parcel at W. Main St. and Ninth St. in West Durham, Durham, North Carolina. The mill was built in 1892 and enlarged in 1896.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex reflects the success of Durham's tobacco fortunes reinvested in textiles and the growth of the cotton textile industry in North Carolina. It also cites the company's pioneering denim production and William A. Erwin's progressive treatment of workers, including shorter hours and refusal to employ underage children. The mill's slow-burn construction and fenestration are presented as illustrating early factory design.","narrative":"Built in 1892 in West Durham, Durham, the Erwin Cotton Mills No. 1 is a two-story brick textile mill with a shallow gable roof and three square towers on its east facade. The mill was lengthened in 1896 with a virtually identical addition, and its narrow width and hundreds of large windows reflect the period's reliance on natural light and ventilation. Beside it stands the company's Headquarters, an L-shaped brick office building whose front block shows vernacular Italianate and Queen Anne details, including brick label moldings and sawn millwork. The company was founded by Benjamin N. Duke and George W. Watts with tobacco profits, and under William A. Erwin it grew rapidly and became a leading denim producer in the South by the turn of the century. Erwin's shorter workday, refusal to hire underage children and village amenities gave the mill historical weight. The complex was sold in 1983 and converted to offices and apartments.","period_of_significance":"1892-1896","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate and Queen Anne (vernacular expression in the Headquarters front block)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Recently renovated as offices and apartments after sale by Burlington Industries in 1983.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:41.806982-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/7200/47720066/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/84002724.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002724/0246aa834f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002724/0246aa834f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Bureau of Labor Statistics of the State of North Carolina &amp; State Library of North Carolina","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erwin_Cotton_Mills,_Durham,_North_Carolina.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bureau of Labor Statistics of the State of North Carolina &amp;amp; State Library of North Carolina</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erwin_Cotton_Mills,_Durham,_North_Carolina.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"86000680","name":"West Durham Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/west-durham-historic-district-86000680/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720066","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Cotton_Mills_Company_Mill_No._1_Headquarters_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19461605"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/durham-county/erwin-cotton-mills-company-mill-no-1-headquarters-building-84002724/"}