American Cigar Factory

05/06/2017

'We're not about ... turning everything into a museum,' says Stephanie Meeks of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

04/27/2017

Why is it worth saving? Important history took place here and it's a landmark in Bruce's Park.

Built circa 1903, American Cigar Factory immediately established Norfolk as a notable city for to***co production. The building along Princess Anne Road was a stemmery facility, where the stem was removed from the to***co leaf prior to it's manufacture into ci**rs. African American women represented most of the workforce there. Frustration over low pay and poor working conditions led the Norfolk branch of the Women Wage Earner's Association to encourage the women to join a union and strike the factory in 1917. While unsuccessful, with American Cigar refusing to give into demands, this strike set a precedent for future organizations for African American Women in the workforce. This is a building rich in industrial, architectural, and most important, social history.
​United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service

04/25/2017

Historic structural columns and beams stacked and on the way to being refurbished for reuse in the renovation!

04/25/2017

Construction has begun!

11/18/2015

Big thanks AltDaily.com!

In a potential victory for those of us who want to see as much of Norfolk's history preserved as possible, there are plans in place to adapt the old American Cigar Factory at 1148 East Princess Anne Road in Norfolk into 91 one bedroom apartments.

11/16/2015

Website is up!