Last updated: November 17, 2023
Place
Winchester Coca-Cola Bottling Works
Photograph by Maral S. Kalbian, courtesy of the Virginia State Historic Preservation Office
Quick Facts
Location:
1720 Valley Ave., Winchester, Virginia
Significance:
Architecture, Industry
Designation:
Listed in the National Register - Reference number 08000895
MANAGED BY:
Private
The Winchester Coca-Cola Bottling Works building in Winchester, Virginia was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It is significant as a well-preserved soft drink bottling facility, and as an example of the evolving business and marketing of Coca-Cola across the country in the 20th century.
Coca-Cola was originally and primarily a beverage sold at soda fountains. This began to shift in 1899, when lawyers Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead bought the company. Thomas, who had served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and witnessed the popularity of a bottled fruit drink, envisioned that Americans would have a similar interest in a bottled soft drink. Alongside his business partners, he established the first franchised Coca-Cola bottling operation in Chattanooga, which quickly expanded to five states and thirteen communities across the country.
Winchester, Virginia had been home to a bottling franchise since the 1920s. The Winchester factory, like all other Coca-Cola bottling factories, purchased Coca-Cola syrup from the Chattanooga plant. The syrup itself, which has a secret recipe, which could only be produced at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. Once the factories had secured the precious syrup, they could mix the syrup into soda water, and bottle the beverage for sale. Sales of bottled Coca-Cola quickly began to outpace sales of fountain Coca-Cola, and by the 1940s, the Winchester operation needed to expand.
In 1941, on the eve of America's entry into World War II, the new Winchester Coca-Cola Bottling Works opened its doors. The factory featured Art Deco architectural features, large plate-glass windows that allowed passersby to see the bottling production process, and a decorative stone parapet with the Coca-Cola signature. The building's modern and welcoming architecture, and location in an otherwise residental area, is an example of how many Coca-Cola Bottling Works across the country used the physical form of their factories to market their product in the mid-to-late 20th century.
In 1976, the factory transitioned from a bottling facility into a Coca-Cola distribution facility for local restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores. In 2006, the factory closed for good.
Coca-Cola was originally and primarily a beverage sold at soda fountains. This began to shift in 1899, when lawyers Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead bought the company. Thomas, who had served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and witnessed the popularity of a bottled fruit drink, envisioned that Americans would have a similar interest in a bottled soft drink. Alongside his business partners, he established the first franchised Coca-Cola bottling operation in Chattanooga, which quickly expanded to five states and thirteen communities across the country.
Winchester, Virginia had been home to a bottling franchise since the 1920s. The Winchester factory, like all other Coca-Cola bottling factories, purchased Coca-Cola syrup from the Chattanooga plant. The syrup itself, which has a secret recipe, which could only be produced at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. Once the factories had secured the precious syrup, they could mix the syrup into soda water, and bottle the beverage for sale. Sales of bottled Coca-Cola quickly began to outpace sales of fountain Coca-Cola, and by the 1940s, the Winchester operation needed to expand.
In 1941, on the eve of America's entry into World War II, the new Winchester Coca-Cola Bottling Works opened its doors. The factory featured Art Deco architectural features, large plate-glass windows that allowed passersby to see the bottling production process, and a decorative stone parapet with the Coca-Cola signature. The building's modern and welcoming architecture, and location in an otherwise residental area, is an example of how many Coca-Cola Bottling Works across the country used the physical form of their factories to market their product in the mid-to-late 20th century.
In 1976, the factory transitioned from a bottling facility into a Coca-Cola distribution facility for local restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores. In 2006, the factory closed for good.