Renfrew Mill No. 2
Also known as: Arnold Print Works
Why it's listed
Renfrew Mill No. 2 is a sprawling industrial complex on Columbia Street in Adams, Massachusetts, made up of more than twenty-five attached buildings and additions, most of brick and one to three stories tall. The oldest parts form the western and southern portions of the site. They include the three-story Italianate Main Mill of 1867, a Picker Room, a Boiler Room, a Weave Shed designed by W.H.H. Whiting of Boston in 1878, a Victorian Gothic office, and two dye houses from the early 1890s. The Renfrew Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1867 under Levi L. Brown and others, and the mill first produced gingham cloth before shifting to other cotton goods. At its height the company employed more than 2,500 workers, making it the area's largest employer until the turn of the century. It closed its Adams mills in 1928, after which Arnold Print Works acquired this mill. The surviving nineteenth-century sections are the basis for its listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the mill keeps its integrity of location, design, materials and setting from its late nineteenth-century building periods. It is linked to several of Adams' leading industrialists and was the town's largest industry before the Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Company grew in the 1890s. The Italianate Main Mill and the Weave Shed are described as unique in Adams for their scale and well-preserved designs.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82000474, listed October 14, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 217 Columbia St., Adams |
|---|---|
| County | Berkshire County |
| Listed | October 14, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82000474 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | W.H.H. Whiting of Boston (Weave Shed, 1878) |
| Architectural style | Italianate (Main Mill); Victorian Gothic (Office) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in good condition and altered, on its original site; present use is industrial. |
| Acreage | 15.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.63753, -73.10727 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82000474.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7313172
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.