Grimshaw Silk Mill

Grimshaw Silk Mill
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Grimshaw Silk Mill, March 2011
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Location	1200 N. 11th St., Reading, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°21′10″N75°54′58″W / 40.35278°N 75.91611°W / 40.35278; -75.91611
Area	0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built	1887, 1889
Built by	Levi H. Focht
NRHP reference No.	85000176 [1]
Added to NRHP	January 31, 1985

The Grimshaw Silk Mill, also known as Freeman Shoes, is an historic factory building which is located in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. ^[1]

History and architectural features

This silk mill was built in 1887 and then rebuilt in 1889, after a tornado destroyed the original building on January 9, 1889, killing nineteen employees and injuring one hundred.

It is a three-story, rectangular, brick building measuring fifty feet by two hundred and fifty feet. A stair tower is topped by a pyramidal roof. It sits on a rubble stone basement and features pilasters, brownstone keystones and a pressed metal cornice. ^[2]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. George E. Thomas (September 1984). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania SP Grimshaw Silk Mill. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 9, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)