Kent Industrial District

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Coordinates: 41°9′11″N 81°21′37″W / 41.15306°N 81.36028°W / 41.15306; -81.36028
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Kent Industrial District
1875 Atlantic & Great Western Depot as seen from the Cuyahoga River
Kent Industrial District is located in Ohio
Kent Industrial District
Location in the state of Ohio.
Kent Industrial District is located in the United States
Kent Industrial District
Kent Industrial District (the United States)
LocationDowntown Kent, Ohio
Coordinates41°9′11″N 81°21′37″W / 41.15306°N 81.36028°W / 41.15306; -81.36028
Area4.3 acres (0.017 km2)[2]
Built1851
Architectural styleItalian Villa
NRHP reference No.74001603[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 30, 1974

The Kent Industrial District is a

Haymaker Parkway to the south.[3][4] Within the district are three buildings and two stone structures of historical significance. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1] Kent namesake Marvin Kent
was involved in several aspects of the district's development and the area would play a key role in the development of Kent during much of the 19th century. The earliest structures in the district date to the 1830s with the most recent historic structure, the livery and carriage shop building, dating to 1910. The area today is occupied mostly by the city of Kent's Franklin Mills Riveredge Park, Heritage Park, and various private landowners.

History

Early development

Ruins of the Kent flour mill, built in 1832.

The area that now comprises the historic district was attractive to early settlers due to potential power from the

silkworms ended any hopes for the village becoming a silk industrial center. It was during this time, however, that the first parts of today's historical district were constructed. As part of the canal, a 19-foot stone arch dam was constructed with an attached lock in 1836. Zenas Kent, father of Kent namesake Marvin Kent, built a flour mill in 1837 on the site of the Haymaker's first mill, just south of the current district's boundaries. He also built a tannery across the street from the mill which he operated with John Brown for a short time.[7]

Alpaca Mill

The former Alpaca Mill, known locally as the "Silk Mill" along River Street (SR 43). Today it is home of the Silk Mill Apartments.

In one of his first ventures as a businessman,

their own building down the street.[10]

Railroad and bridge

The 1836 dam with the 1877 Main Street Bridge behind. Heritage Park, dedicated in 2005, is located between the dam and bridge. Water is artificially pumped over the dam.

Another venture of Marvin Kent was the establishment of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad and his role in having Franklin Mills selected not only as a stop on the line, but also as the location for the railroad shops. This led to construction of railroad tracks through what is now the eastern edge of the historic district beginning in 1853[11] and later the construction of a train station, which would open June 1, 1875.[12] Soon after, in 1876, construction began on a replacement of the Main Street bridge, which previously had been a wooden covered bridge built in 1837. A stone arch bridge was built, which was completed in 1877.[13] During the 1880s a second rail line was constructed through the current district by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,[14] known today as the "lower tracks."

Later history

Boardwalk in Franklin Mills Riveredge Park connecting the dam to Tannery Park. The boardwalk closely follows the path of the old mill race.

After the departure of the alpaca-worsted mill in 1889, the area which now comprises the historic district slowly declined in importance. The lock and dam were heavily damaged in 1913 during a flood that affected much of Ohio.[15] The damage was heavy enough to cause residents to debate whether or not the dam and lock should be repaired or removed. Ultimately, they were repaired in 1925 due to their historic value.[16] The Kent flour mill and Kent tannery (also known as the John Brown tannery) fell into disuse. The mill was torn down in the 1930s while the tannery lasted until 1976 when it was torn down as part of an environmental cleanup project.[17] Also during the 1930s, land was donated to the city to create Franklin Mills Riveredge Park, which covers much of the current historical district along with Tannery Park,[18] which occupies the site of tannery. The park features a boardwalk along the Cuyahoga River which closely follows the path of the mill race which originally ran from the dam to the flour and alpaca mills downstream.

Around 1910, a livery and carriage shop was built at the southeast corner of West Main and River Streets. This building would later serve as an automobile dealership in the 1970s and is today home to several offices.[4]

The Atlantic and Great Western Rail Depot, later known as the Erie Depot, continued to be used as a train depot until January 6, 1970.

Haymaker Parkway
was constructed. The main bridge of the parkway, known as the Redmond Greer Memorial Bridge, essentially forms the southern boundary of the district, immediately south of the former alpaca mill.

Environmental Protection Agency declared the Cuyahoga River water quality to be too low and recommended removal of the dam. In a compromise of environmental and historical concerns, one wall of the lock was removed and the channel was widened to allow the river to flow through it. Behind the dam, a small park known as Heritage Park was constructed which included a large pump to allow water to be pumped over the dam during warm-weather months. It was dedicated in May 2005.[23] In 2017, Treno Ristorante officially opened in the space Pufferbelly Restaurant formerly occupied on the lower floor of the Erie Depot.[24]

Contributing structures

  • Stone arch dam and canal lock, built 1836
  • Alpaca-worsted mill (also known as the Silk Mill), built 1851
  • Atlantic and Great Western Rail Depot (also known as the Erie Depot), built 1875
  • Main Street Bridge, built 1877
  • Livery and carriage shop, built ca. 1910

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kent Industrial District.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "OHIO-Portage County-Historic Districts". NationalResgisterofHistoricPlaces.com. NationalResgisterofHistoricPlaces.com. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  3. ^ "Kent Bicentennial Historical Fun Facts" (PDF). www.KentBiz.com. Kent Area Chamber of Commerce. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Kent Industrial District". National Register of Historic Places Iventory - Nomination form. United States Department of the Interior. December 30, 1974.
  5. ^ Grismer, Karl H. (1932). History of Kent (PDF) (2001 ed.). Kent, Ohio: Record Publishing (1932), Kent Historical Society (2001). p. 12.
  6. ^ Grismer, pp. 21-23
  7. ^ Grismer, p. 22
  8. ^ a b Grismer, pp. 27-28
  9. ^ Grismer, pp. 50-51
  10. ^ "L.N. Gross Company Building" (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, National Park Service, pp. 14–15, July 22, 2016, retrieved April 17, 2017
  11. ^ Grismer, p. 37
  12. ^ Grismer, p. 47
  13. ^ Grismer, p. 49
  14. ^ Grismer, p. 61
  15. ^ "March 23–27, 1913: Statewide Flood". OhioHistory.org. Ohio Historical Society. 2006. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  16. ^ Grismer, pp. 90-91
  17. ^ "KEC Connects with the Cuyahoga River" (PDF). Kent Environmental Council newsletter. Kent Environmental Council. July 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  18. ^ "Franklin Mills Riveredge Park". KentParksandRec.com. Kent Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  19. ^ a b c Kent Historical Society Book Committee (1999). Darrow, Ralph (ed.). Kent Ohio: The Dynamic Decades. Kent, Ohio: Kent Historical Society. pp. 68–69.
  20. ^ Darrow, p. 128
  21. ^ "About Us: The History of the Kent Historical Society". KentOhioHistory.org. Kent Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  22. ^ Moffat, Brittany (October 13, 2008). "Beyond milk crate chic". Reporting Public Affairs. Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Retrieved June 18, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ "Cuyahoga River Restoration Project". KentOhio.org. City of Kent, Ohio. 2006. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  24. ^ GAETJENSReporter, B. O. B. "Treno Ristorante repurposes Pufferbelly location". Record-Courier. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
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