Scottsville Tire Cord Plant added to Virginia Landmarks Register

A part of Albemarle County’s industrial past has been added to the Commonwealth’s list of “historically and culturally significant properties.”

In December, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources approved the nomination of the Scottsville Tire Cord Plant Historic District to be added to the Virginia Landmarks Register.

“The Scottsville Tire Cord Plant remains remarkably intact, and is representative of a half-century of rubber cord production industry that was one of the largest employers for Scottsville, Albemarle County, and the surrounding counties of Fluvanna, Buckingham, and Nelson,” reads the introductory paragraph for the nomination. 

The factory dates back to 1944 when the United States Defense Plant Corporation built it to increase the country’s capacity for rubber production. The 24-acre campus includes eight structures that contribute to the significance of public-private partnerships that existed during the Second World War. 

“The Scottsville Tire Cord Plant also served as a major employer, having employed nearly 400 men and women at its peak, and thus it spurred economic growth to the rural communities that surrounded Scottsville,” the nomination continues. 

The nomination describes how the plant wound up in Scottsville, a community that had not seen significant industry since the close of the Civil War when industrial buildings were destroyed. The federal Defense Plant Corporation was formed in 1940 to subsidize industries for “non-arsenal defense industries” such as producing the lining for tires using rayon. In 1944, the DPC purchased 66 acres of land in Scottsville and both the Town of Scottsville and Albemarle County covered the cost of providing water and sewer infrastructure. 

The plant adjusted to post-war consumer demand and continued operations for many decades  under many different owners until 2009 when the plant closed. A company called Echelon Resources recently sought a rezoning to redevelop the plant with 205 dwelling units, but Town Council voted against it in January 2023 according to The James Exchange. Minutes of Town Council meetings only date back to June 2023.  

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