As far back as Colonial days, the boot and shoe industry was one of the States leading industries. Buyers came suburban towns to purchase supplies, and in the early 1800s, the larger manufacturers began to open offices and stores in Boston. Soon, most of the leading merchants had established places of business in Boston, by the late 19thcentury, many were located in the South Cove area, which became known as theLeather District. The Leather District is characterized today by large, brick structures with flat roofs and feature continuous floor levels, band courses, and cornice lines.This handsome brick building on Atlantic Avenuewas built in 1901 for Charles G. Riceand the Heirs of Nehemiah W. Rice as a warehouse for theU.S. Leather Company. The building was designed by William Gibbons Rantoul, who studied architecture at Harvard, and apprenticed withHenry Hobson Richardsonas a draftsman in the 1880s before opening his own practice. In 1946, the subject property was purchased by Frank Ennis, and the new tenants, Fur Merchants Cold Storage, Inc., used the building for the storage of skins and furs for manufacturing into soft goods. Architecturally, the building showcases the lasting influence of Richardson on architects and industrial buildings in Boston from the late 19thcentury into the early 20thcentury. The building can be classified as Romanesque Revival in style with its use of arches in the faade both structural and decorative, the Venetian arches at the 7thfloor, as well as its arcaded corbelling over the 3rd level and at the cornice. I especially love the tall, engaged brick columns at the storefront, they are very unique!