• The town of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania has a very unique textile heritage related to woven carpets in the United States. Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania is the oldest, continuous manufacturing center of woven carpets in America with an unbroken manufacturing heritage of over 150 years. Known for woven carpet constructions and designs, Bloomsburg Carpet’s archive of historic carpet patterns complements their company’s commitment to historic preservation. Even more important, Bloomsburg Carpet is the only woven carpet manufacturer in the United States that operates all three woven carpet construction types, Velvet, Wilton, and Axminster, within a single manufacturing operation. With over 50 carpet looms in continuous operation, the ability to reproduce historically appropriate carpet patterns is unlimited.
Bloomsburg Carpet’s preservation goal is straightforward.
Manufacture quality historically appropriate carpets for the preservation of our nation’s architectural heritage.
• The use of carpet in American buildings varies with the end use purpose of the building. Woven carpeting significantly contributed to the overall defining features in theaters, hotels, government buildings, temples and churches constructed in the United States prior to 1960. Historical accuracy in pattern, color, construction techniques and materials is crucial in retaining the historical intent of a structure within the preservation process. Bloomsburg’s woven carpets can uniquely assist in complying with the intent of the Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (37 CFR 68). “Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will match the old in design, color, texture, and, where possible, materials.”
** In addition to the Secretary’s Standards, woven carpets manufactured in the United States can assist in the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program – section 2124 of the Tax Reform Act of 1976, 90 Stat. 1918, EO 11593, 3 CFR part 75 (1971) as well as the Buy America Act (41 U.S.C. Sec. 10a – American materials required for public use) (1933) and the 2009 American Recover and Reinvestment Act (Pub.L. 111-5) – Subpart 25.602. **
• The looms of Bloomsburg Carpets, with the craftsmanship of its weavers, have an impressive history of providing woven carpets used in the preservation of historic American landmark buildings across the country. From “America’s Showplace for the Nation,” Radio City Music Hall, through the Senate and House Chambers of the United States Capitol to the Court Chamber of the United States Supreme Court, Bloomsburg Carpet is the woven carpet standard for America’s historic landmarks and architectural treasures.
