Four Textile Factories in Troy, N.Y.

Listed on National Register

The concept of the detachable shirt collar and cuff originated in Troy, N.Y., in 1827, but it took the introduction of the industrial sewing machine in the mid-19th century for Troy’s collar and cuff industry to really take off. By the late-19th century the city’s textile manufacturing companies accounted for more than 90% of all collars and cuffs made in the U.S. These mills were concentrated on River Street along the Hudson River north of the city’s commercial center. In the culmination of an effort that stretches back more than four years, four significant River Street textile mills have been added to the National Register of Historic Places—the most recent in Feb. 2016.

Michael Lopez, program coordinator at local architecture and preservation firm TAP Inc., said that in 2012 the City of Troy received a grant from the Preservation League of New York State to prepare a Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF) for the River Street textile factory area. He explained that this National Park Service (NPS) methodology is used to document buildings that have similar functions and construction, with the goal of making later individual National Register nominations easier.

The city contracted with TAP for this project. “From everybody’s point of view the corridor of factories starting at 444 River St. (Troy Waste Manufacturing Co.) to 701 River St. (Searle, Gardner & Company Cuff and Collar Factory) should be the focus of study,” Lopez said. The block south of the study area also features textile industry buildings, but it is located in an existing historic district.

TAP, in close consultation with the New York State Historic Preservation Office (NYSHPO), studied more than ten existing buildings in Troy. All of them (with one exception) related to textile manufacturing, particularly collars and cuffs. Another unifying theme is that most of the buildings are built of brick and share characteristics of the Romanesque Revival style. In addition, they exhibit the “fireproof” construction typical of late-19th-century factory buildings. So-called mill construction employed heavy timber supporting posts (generally 10 in.) and even larger beams (12 in.) so that the wood interior construction would char rather than burn through in case of fire. In addition, the timbers were designed to fall into the building rather than push out the exterior walls. The buildings also had multiple exits, gravity-operated fire doors, and sprinklers fed by elevated water tanks.

The MPDF was the best approach for documenting the buildings and spurring nominations, Lopez said, since NYSHPO held that too many properties between the factories had been lost, thereby compromising the possibility of creating a new historic district.

 Lopez pointed out that a successful National Register nomination allows developers to qualify for historic tax credits for up to 40% of the cost of rehabilitation. “[This] is quite substantial on a multi-million-dollar project,” Lopez said. Tax credits can be used by developers or “syndicated” to other investors. Tax credits can be received only for renovations done according to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which promotes “sensitive” re-use, he added.

The four buildings that were successfully nominated for the National Register are:

Troy Waste Mfg. Co. (444 River St.; nomination accepted Feb. 2014). This building was designed by Troy architects Marcus F. Cummings & Son and built in 1909 on a triangular lot. There were several additions to the original building. Troy Waste manufactured non-woven “shoddy” products from wool and cotton waste. The Marvin Neitzel Corp. later manufactured nurses’ uniforms there from 1974 until ca. 2005. The building has been converted into apartments.

Wilbur, Campbell & Stephens Co. (599 River St.; nomination accepted Feb. 2016). The largest and most architecturally distinctive of the listed buildings, this factory was built ca. 1889. The company dissolved ca. 1911. Afterwards the building was occupied by other textile firms until the mid-1960s, and then as a furniture showroom and warehouse. It was converted into apartments.

Afterwards the building was occupied by other textile firms until the mid-1960s, and then as a furniture showroom and warehouse. It was converted into apartments.

Van Zandt, Jacobs & Co. (621 River St.; nomination accepted Feb. 2014). Designed in the Romanesque Revival style by architects Marcus F. Cummings & Son and constructed ca. 1895. After sitting largely vacant for a number of years, this building was renovated as “Arthaus Hudson.” The apartments are aimed at artists, and the building features studio and gallery space.

Searle, Gardner & Company Cuff & Collar Factory (701 River St.; nomination accepted Jan. 2014). Built ca. 1889 and occupied by the company for 17 years. After sitting vacant for more than 20 years, the building is undergoing conversion into an apartment building to be known as the Collar Lofts.

Two textile buildings in the River Street corridor had been previously renovated into offices by Troy developer John Hedley without the benefit of National Register listing or tax credits. The Cluett, Peabody & Co. Inc. building (433 River St,) is the largest building in the corridor and the only one constructed of reinforced concrete. It was finished in 1917 and was considered an advanced building for its time. The architects were Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Co. Its style is simpler than the other factories, and it has larger windows. In addition to being the last textile building constructed in Troy, it also was the one used the longest for textile manufacturing. Cluett, Peabody manufactured their “Arrow” brand collars and cuffs, and later shirts, there until the 1980s. The building is now known as Hedley Park Place. Among the building’s current tenants is Troy City Hall.

Hedley also converted the Miller, Hall & Hartwell Co. building (547 River St.) to offices. Now known as Flanigan Square, its major tenant is Rensselaer County.

An anomaly in the textile factory corridor is William Connors Paint Mfg. Co. (669 River St.). Besides being in a different industry, the 1898 brick structure (actually two buildings) is much smaller and simpler than the textile factories. Connors was an early manufacturer of ready-mixed paints, selling his products under the “American Seal” name. The factory operated at the location until the 1970s. Lopez pointed out that this is the only building in the corridor, and likely in the entire city, that still has remnants of water power. Water entered via a canal (no longer extant) from the Hudson River and exited via a tailrace; some water-powered equipment is still in place. The building is currently vacant. New owners are planning apartments and a restaurant. The building was successfully nominated to the State Register of Historic Places and approved for the National Register in 2016.

Note: This article originally ran in the Fall 2016 issue of the Society for Industrial Archeology Newsletter. It has been updated to reflect developments through June 2020. Photos from TAP, Inc., Hart Cluett Museum, Albany Times Union and Troy Record.