Rochester in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Western Knitting Mills
Photographed by Joel Seewald, June 10, 2018
1. Western Knitting Mills Marker
Erected 2003 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number L2125.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, World I. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.
Location. 42° 40.849′ N, 83° 7.875′ W. Marker is in Rochester, Michigan, in Oakland County. It is at the intersection of Water Street and East Fourth Street, on the left when traveling south on Water Street. Marker is in the parking lot, near the entrance of the Rochester Mills Beer Company. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 Water Street,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan and in Greater Detroit. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Western Knitting Mills and Boarding Houses (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hammer (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Western Knitting Mills Dam and Michigan Central Railroad Bridge (about 500 feet away); Rochester Train Depot and Rochester Elevator (about 600 feet away); Masonic Block (about 600 feet away); Rochester Opera House (about 600 feet away); City of Rochester, Michigan (about 700 feet away); Three-faced Clock (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rochester.
Also see . . .
1. Western Knitting Mills. (Submitted on June 13, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
2. Western Knitting Mills. Western
Photographed by Joel Seewald, June 10, 2018
2. Western Knitting Mills and Marker
The Western Knitting Mills 1896 building is a typical Michigan example of the timber-frame factory loft building of the generation preceding not only the common use of steel and reinforced concrete but also the common acceptance of the slow-burning mill construction that was being promoted by the insurance industry in the 1890s to reduce fire losses. It is also the last mill building of late nineteenth-century date in a community which witnessed something of an industrial renaissance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Despite the recent renovation and change in use, the building retains intact its simple brick exterior demarcated into bays by slightly projecting piers that rise to the underside of a slightly projecting parapet and displaying (restored) double-hung windows set in segmental-arch heads. The building also retains its historic structural system in which two rows of massive square-plan wooden posts support a standard floor system of maple flooring over thicker planking supported by joists.(Submitted on September 16, 2026, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 449 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 13, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
