Alexander Smith Carpet Mills Historic District Explained

The Alexander Smith Carpet Mills Historic District is a unique and fascinating piece of industrial history. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Located in Yonkers, New York, the district was home to the Alexander Smith Carpet Mills, a major manufacturer of carpets and rugs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mills were a major employer in the area, providing jobs for thousands of workers.

The district is comprised of several buildings, including the main mill building, a powerhouse, and various office and storage buildings. These structures showcase the industrial architecture of the time, with their brick and stone facades and ornate details.

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The Alexander Smith Carpet Mills Historic District is a fascinating piece of Yonkers' history. This historic district was listed in 1983 and includes the area around Saw Mill River Road and Orchard Street.

It was once home to the Alexander Smith Carpet Mills, a huge carpet manufacturing company that dominated the industry. The mill employed as many as 7,000 workers before leaving the area in 1954.

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The district showcases Yonkers' industrial past, a testament to the city's rich history. Much of the Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet Mill still stands between Saw Mill River Road and Nepperhan Avenue.

The mill's weaving operations rose in the 1870s along the Saw Mill River, with over 64% of the weavers under the age of 20 and two thirds of them being female. Weavers' demands for the right to unionize and basic women's rights in the mill led to a series of unproductive strikes.

Here's a list of some of the notable buildings in the district:

The Alexander Smith Carpet Mills Historic District is a national historic district located at Yonkers, Westchester County, New York.

It includes 85 contributing buildings, showcasing the area's rich industrial heritage.

The main mill building was originally built in 1871 and expanded between 1876 and 1883.

It's a three-story, rectangular building, 52 bays wide and five bays deep in the Second Empire style.

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The building features a four-story tower and a five-story tower.

The workers' housing, known as Moquette Row, North and South, was built between 1881 and 1886.

Many workers that lived in this housing originally were immigrants to the United States.

They came from Scotland, Ireland, and Ukraine.

The carpet works were developed by Alexander Smith.

The company closed the Yonkers mills and relocated to Greenville, Mississippi, in 1954.

At the time of its closing, there were 2,400 who worked at the carpet mill.

The carpet weaving industry was revolutionized by looms invented in this plant by Alexander Smith and Halcyon Skinner.

Skinner, an engineer, designed a loom known as the Axminster power loom.

A patent for this loom was created in 1877.

Royalty rights were sold to European and American companies at the rate of twenty cents per yard of carpet produced.

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