The Richardson Silk Mill is a former industrial building located at 101 Front Street in

Belding, Michigan Belding is a city in Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan, completely surrounded by Otisco Township, Michigan. The population was 5,757 at the 2010 census. History In 1838, six years before John Green came to the area that later woul ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1985. The building has been converted into apartments, now known as the Flats on the River.

History

In 1860, Hiram H. Belding and his brother Alva N. Belding started selling spooled silk from a base in what is now Belding, aided by a third brother, Milo M. Belding, who living in

Ashfield, Massachusetts Ashfield is a New England town, town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metropolitan area, Massachuset ...

. This retail trade was an immense success, and in 1866 Belding Brothers began manufacturing silk thread in

Rockville, Connecticut Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The village is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 7,920 at the 2020 census. Incorporated as a city i ...

. By 1872 they had established a second mill in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence, Massachusetts, Florence and ...

, and soon added other facilities in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. In 1886, Belding Brothers returned to Belding and constructed this mill, designated Mill #1. However, soon after completing the building, they had doubts about the success of the venture and sold it to George Richardson of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, who had previously worked for Belding Brothers as an office manager. However, despite their doubts, the Richardson Mill was immediately successful. Belding Brothers established a second mill in Belding in 1890, quickly followed by two more. In 1898, Richardson expanded his mill with a substantial addition, and all four mills operated simultaneously for some time. In 1910, Belding Brothers re-purchased the Richardson Mill. They operated it until 1925, when they sold the company to an eastern consortium. The new corporation, Belding-Heminway, continued to operate the Belding mills until 1932, when they were closed. The Richardson Silk Mill was used by a series of manufacturing firms, including the manufacture of down-filled sporting goods in the 1970s. By the early 1980s, the structure was vacant. In 1986, it was converted into apartments, now known as the Flats on the River.

Description

The Richardson Silk Mill is a four-story building constructed of whitish brick with a slant roof on a concrete foundation. It was constructed in two sections: the 1888 section measures 50 feet by 250 feet, and the 1898 addition measures 50 feet by 100 feet. The original section contains two five-story brick towers with pyramidal slate roofs, and has regularly spaced arched windows with decorative belt courses of red brick running between the windows and forming arches. The addition has a similar window structure, but without the decorative brick. A two-story white brick addition is attached to the rear of the building.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Ionia County, Michigan Commercial buildings completed in 1886