One needn’t look far to find the source of Knitting Mill Creek. The short creek begins at 42nd Street and runs along the western edge of the Colonial Place neighborhood into the Lafayette River. A brief stroll to the west, standing along the west side of Colley Avenue between 44th and 45th streets, is the century-old building whose operations gave the creek its name.
The brick and masonry structure dates from 1895, when it was built for $100,000 as Lambert’s Point Knitting Mill.
At the time, the mill employed about 200 people and was one of about two dozen such mills in an area home to extensive manufacturing and industrial facilities.
A fire insurance map from the period mentions the building’s two-story main structure, which housed machines for carding, knitting, spinning, and steaming. Other structures housed the mill’s washroom, dry room, machine shop, box factory, and storehouse.
The mill featured the latest technology of the time, including electric lighting, steam heat, and an automatic sprinkler system, which was fed by a 5,500-gallon water tank mounted atop a four-story tower on the building’s south side.
A now-defunct Norfolk and Western Railway spur entered the mill from the north side and was used for delivering materials and taking away finished goods.
In the 1910s, the building was used as a woodworking and a cotton processing facility. By 1920, it was a storage warehouse.
In the 1950s, the building, now owned by Old Dominion Paper Co., was expanded and updated extensively. Crews added a one-story addition on the mill’s south, north, and west sides. The window openings were resized and replaced with textured glass block, and the entire building was clad in concrete stucco, a nod to Modernist architecture.
Today, the mill has a new life as Knitting Mill Commons, with loft-style apartments home to many Old Dominion University students, among others.
“Porchella is something we look forward to all year as returning porch hosts. I’m amazed at how Christina Fletcher pulls it together year after year, gathering musicians and pairing them with porch hosts. This is an incredible community-building event, one that showcases the character, diversity, and cohesive core of our neighborhood. It’s a win-win-win…for the musicians, the hosts, and the attendees.” – Artemis Stoll
A resounding success! That’s the final take on December’s CPRV Holiday Food Drive, benefitting ODU students through the Monarch Food Pantry and the Global Friendship House.
Happy 2025, CPRV! Join us Jan. 13 at Riverview Theater for our first meeting, celebrate events like Porchella, support New Jersey Ave’s lights, and step into leadership roles to help shape our community’s future!
At a recent Colonial Place and Riverview Civic League meeting, Citizens for Responsible Lighting (CRL), led by Lori Baccanari, presented information on the ongoing transition to LED street lighting in Norfolk. CRL focuses on ensuring that this conversion process is managed responsibly to avoid potential hazards associated with improper LED installations.
Our December 9th General Members Meeting featured an informative presentation by Citizens for Responsible Lighting (CRL), led by Lori Baccanari. CRL provided an overview of the ongoing transition to LED street lighting in Norfolk, highlighting the importance of responsible implementation to avoid potential hazards. Their presentation underscored the impact of different LED color temperatures on public health, safety, and the environment.
Monthly financial literacy tip videos from the City of Norfolk’s Youtube Page provided by Bank On.
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