# American Viscose Plant Historic District

Roanoke, VA · industrial · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `n-404fe29f46` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/industrial/va/roanoke-american-viscose-plant-historic-district/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/n-404fe29f46.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/n-404fe29f46.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/n-404fe29f46

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | approved | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop, reinhabit | none |
| New use | housing, industrial, mixed, retail | none |
| What is there now | mixed-use district of residential and commercial use | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1917 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 1958 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2023 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Acres | 212.0 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| GLA (sq ft) | 1600000 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | American Viscose Company | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | a local developer | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Public subsidy | forgivable loan | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Entitlement year | 2023 | none |
| Planning notes | Approved by Roanoke City Council. | none |

## Parties

- a local developer — developer (2023–)

## Timeline

- 1917: First spinning unit opened.
- 1917: Opened
- 1958: Factory closed permanently.
- 1958: Closed
- 1961: Property purchased by investors and converted to industrial park.
- 2019: District added to National Register of Historic Places.
- 2023: Roanoke City Council approved plan for mixed-use redevelopment (Riverdale).
- 2023: Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit

## Deals and debt

- 1961 sale:  consortium of Roanoke investors ← American Viscose  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Viscose_Plant_Historic_District

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

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.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Viscose_Plant_Historic_District

## Sources

- American Viscose Plant Historic District — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Viscose_Plant_Historic_District

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "American Viscose Plant Historic District, Roanoke, VA." Record n-404fe29f46, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/industrial/va/roanoke-american-viscose-plant-historic-district/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_roanokeamericanviscoseplanthistoricdistr,
  title = {American Viscose Plant Historic District, Roanoke, VA},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/industrial/va/roanoke-american-viscose-plant-historic-district/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record n-404fe29f46, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.