National Register of Historic Places
Lion Knitting Mills
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
The record
- Listed
- September 12, 2016
- Type
- Building
- Address
- 3256 W. 25th St., Cleveland
- County
- Cuyahoga
- State
- Ohio
- Contributing resources
- 1 building
- Coordinates
- 41.46564, -81.70041
- Reference number
- 16000617
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesUSGS Historical Topographic Map CollectionDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
The story
Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com
Lion Knitting Mills is a three-story brick and heavy timber garment manufacturing building at 3256 W. 25th St. in Cleveland, built in 1919-1920 in the Commercial Style. The firm of Christian, Schwarzenburg, and Gaede designed it, and F.W. Ruple Construction Company built it.
Why it's listed
It was listed under criterion A, with local significance in commerce, invention and industry; the nomination gives its period of significance as 1921 to 1963, reflecting Lion Knitting Mills' 1921 move into the building and additions built there through 1963.
Physical character
The brick walls are trimmed with sandstone and rise over a window-lit basement, with a six-bay by four-bay facade and a set-back entrance at the southeast corner. A 30,000-gallon water tank tops a steel tower on the roof, and additions built between 1953 and 1963 more than doubled the size of the facility.
Historical context
Lion Knitting Mills Co. was founded in 1912 by Louis and Harold Ensten; the company moved into the building in 1921, produced knit goods there through 1990, and expanded from 1948 to 1963 into luxury sweaters of cashmere, lambswool and vicuna. James and Norbert Hibshman took over the company in 1971 and ran it together until 1979, when Norbert became sole owner.