The buildings that make up today’s River Arts District are repurposed relics of Asheville’s history.
In 1880, the railroad came to Asheville for the first time. This new arrival would irrevocably change the trajectory of this little mountain town.
The tracks ran along the banks of the French Broad River, and soon manufacturers came and used the railroad to transport their goods to market.
Throughout the late 19th century and into the 1920s, cotton mills, leather tanneries, and other industries built large facilities along the tracks.