American Viscose Plant Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

American Viscose Plant Historic District

Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia
Listed
August 6, 2019
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
100004260

About this property

The American Viscose Plant Historic District is an industrial park and historic district located in Roanoke, Virginia. The site is the location of the former American Viscose Corporation rayon processing plant that once employed over 5,000 and for a time was reportedly the largest rayon producing mill in the world. The plant's construction began in 1916 with the building of the first of what became three large processing plants of two spinning units each; the second began construction in 1921 and the third in 1925. With the plant's viability decreased by newer facilities elsewhere and rayon's usage supplanted by nylon and other synthetic fabrics, the factory closed in 1958. The property was purchased by an assortment of Roanoke investors in 1961 and has been operated as an industrial park since. The district consists of 20 contributing resources, including 16 buildings, two structures, and two sites. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. As of 2023, it was in the early stages of redevelopment into a mixed-use district of residential and commercial use.

Location

Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia

Categories

ARCHITECTUREINDUSTRY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Questions about this property

When was American Viscose Plant Historic District listed on the National Register?

American Viscose Plant Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 2019.

What type of historic resource is American Viscose Plant Historic District?

American Viscose Plant Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for American Viscose Plant Historic District?

The period of significance for American Viscose Plant Historic District is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1916.

Can I research the history near American Viscose Plant Historic District?

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