Cotonificio Muggiani, building in Rho, Italy
The Cotonificio Muggiani is a cotton mill in Rho, Lombardy, with four floors and a distinctive tower. The building features plain, functional architecture with large windows and sturdy columns, characteristic of early 20th-century industrial construction.
The factory was built between 1902 and 1904 and received an international award for its architecture at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. After a change of ownership to Unione Manifatture in 1909, the core structure remained intact and shaped local industry for decades.
The Muggiani name reflects the entrepreneurial family who founded and ran the facility. The neighborhood that developed around the factory also carries this name, showing how deeply the mill shaped the community.
The building now operates partly as a hotel and retail space, allowing visitors access to sections of the historic structure. When exploring, you can spot the old railway tracks alongside the building that once transported raw cotton and finished fabric.
The building received a prize at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair for its advanced factory architecture, a rare honor for an industrial structure of that era. This international recognition shows the design was considered a model for modern factory construction.
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