D. H. Griffin, who now owns the Burlington property on Cowford Road in Halifax, has begun demolition of the former textile plant.
Demolition is expected to be complete by the spring.
The Town of Halifax anticipates partnering with the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority to market the property to potential businesses once demolition is complete. The ultimate goal is to salvage and recycle material from demolition and make the property available to potential buyers who may bring new business and jobs to the area.
The Pacific Mills Co. constructed the building in 1946, and Burlington Industries acquired the building in 1955 when it bought out the company. The Halifax plant was part of the Worsted Fabric Division of Burlington Industries, which included five other plants.
The Halifax plant produce worsted yarn for upper end men and women's apparel. At its peak, more 6,500 were employed in the Worsted Fabric Division with more than 1,100 being employed at the Halifax plant.
At the company's peak, the payroll for both the Halifax plant and the two plants in Clarksville was more than $85 million. Burlington Industries filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and laid off 60 employees from the Halifax plant.
After 47 years of operation, the plant closed its doors in December 2002 due to the impact of imports that resulted in the elimination of protective tariffs on the worsted fabric industry. The building has not been used since.
The John Randolph Hotel redevelopment project received another boost this week when Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a round of Industrial Revitalization Fund grants.
