Cleveland Worsted Mills Company
Why it's listed
This former worsted wool mill on Broadway in Cleveland is a group of more than a dozen brick buildings put up between 1896 and 1920 beside the Erie Railroad. Most rise six stories, with one ten-story wool storage building of reinforced concrete. Weaving buildings along the tracks show Richardsonian Romanesque features such as arched windows and towers with pyramidal roofs, while the two main Broadway facades combine massive segmental arches with Neoclassical pilasters and cornices in red brick and sandstone. The company began as a small mill in 1878, moved to this site in 1896, and was reorganized as Cleveland Worsted Mills Company in 1902. It became the main plant in an eleven-mill network and supplied military uniform cloth. At its height in the 1920s the group employed 5,000 people across all plants. The mill closed in 1957 and its machinery was removed, but nearly all buildings survive, which is the basis for its listing for architecture and industrial history.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is a significant example of turn-of-the-century industrial architecture showing Richardsonian Romanesque influence, and that it survives with nearly every building intact. Built over about twenty-five years, the buildings reflect changes in industrial style and construction. The complex was the main plant of an eleven-mill network that by 1926 was the second largest national consolidation of worsted mills.
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 85001695, listed August 8, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5846--6116 Broadway, Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | August 8, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85001695 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1896-1920 |
| Architect / builder | George S. Rider Co., designers; Hunkin-Conkey Construction Company, general contractors |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque influence, with Neoclassical elements on the Broadway facades |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mills closed in 1957 and all machinery was removed; the powerhouse and laboratory building are deteriorated, and the complex is listed as occupied on the form. |
| Acreage | 4.6 |
| Coordinates | 41.46425, -81.64886 (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 85001695.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.