The Zeropak renovation has been a long time coming. The building, built in the early 1900s, has a rich history and an historical significance to the town of Winchester VA. In 1902 the C.L. Robinson Ice and Cold Storage Corporation developed the property located at 536-580 N Cameron St. They operated the business out of this location until 1976, when the company acquired the Zeropak Company of Ohio and operated under that name, at the same location, until it closed in 1997.
In the time that C.L. Robinson and Zeropak operated out of this location, many additions were made to the building to include more cold storage, warehouse space, and offices for the day-to-day operations. C.L. Robinson was a thriving business in Winchester for much of the 20th century until it closed in 1997. Since then, the building has seen many owners and usages. In 2000, it was used as a distribution facility by the Salvation Army. In 2007, it was purchased by a local brewery, with plans to rehabilitate the building for the brewery and events. Ultimately, they were unsuccessful with their plans and sold it at auction in 2013. Since then, it has changed hands multiple times with very little renovations done.
In May of 2014, a fire broke out engulfing much of the building, but causing minimal damage in the mostly vacant property. The source of the fire remains unknown, but it was believed to have started in the cork walls.
As one of the earliest apple storage facilities in the Shenandoah Valley, the building holds significant historical value to our town. It is important that we maintain and honor that history. We are excited to start renovations and we are excited to bring affordable housing to our area. Follow the progress on our website or our Facebook page!
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