The Conte wool mill is one of the oldest factories existing in the city, with the first written record dating back to 1757; initially, Giovan Battista Conte procured raw materials for local artisans, and later his son Antonio purchased an existing workshop along the course of the Roggia, becoming an entrepreneur himself.
The area bordered by the walls visible along Via XX Settembre, now built with new buildings, belonged to the family and spanned an area of three hectares, which included the original workshop, the residence, and the manor park. From 1860, the wool mill and the area underwent significant enhancements and modifications influenced by the development of the nearby Rossian industry. In the early 1900s, the low buildings erected since 1886 were replaced with a new factory made of reinforced concrete.
The oldest building, still visible and adjacent to the restored complex, runs along the course of the Roggia Maestra. The facade, made of brick and stone, features arched windows outlined with bricks, while on the roof, the bell that marked working shifts is still visible.
Adjoining this ancient building is the establishment constructed from 1866 to 1884, spread over four floors, with a cast iron structure and wooden flooring. In 1929, a reinforced concrete and glass superstructure with a turret, intended to hold two water tanks, was added to the existing nineteenth-century building.
In 1883, just four years after the invention of the Edison lamp, the wool mill introduced, among the first in Italy, electric lighting. The ancient weaving machinery, now painted gray, was restored after the production activity was moved to an industrial area in 2000, thus designating the old space for a new public and cultural function. In the square in front of the wool mill, there is a bust of Alvise Conte, who died in 1950, a figure of importance both for the company and for the civil and social life of the City. Indeed, during his management, the wool mill managed to cope with the difficult economic circumstances of the 1930s and the dramatic wartime events of World War II.
The history of the Conte wool mill is connected to the origins of textile production in the Val Leogra and the birth of the factory system that led to subsequent social and urban development.
In 1906, Alvise Conte took over the management of the family business and promoted new growth, replacing old buildings with modern structures. The neo-Gothic Palazzo Mengotti was also demolished to build a new weaving hall. The new building was designed in 1906 by engineer Carlo Letter and constructed with Hennebique patented reinforced concrete and a Shed roof, a type and material that were absolutely cutting-edge for the time. This type of roofing was particularly used in industrial architecture, allowing for very uniform daylight illumination. The Hennebique system was first advertised in Italy by engineers Ferrero and Porcheddu, owners of the eponymous studio in Turin in 1894, as they represented "Hennebique fireproof floors." This new weaving space has an area of about 1300 square meters: the perimeter spans have a flat roof while the remaining part of the roof features a triple series of glass slopes, inclined like a sawtooth facing north. The interior space of the building is interspersed with white pillars of thirty centimeters that do not interrupt the line of sight. The projects by engineer Letter are preserved at the library of the Polytechnic University of Turin.
In Schio, reinforced concrete will be used again for structural and fire resistance reasons in 1908 by architect Ferruccio Chemello to cast the gallery and floors of the Civic Theater. The restoration of this building, completed in 2013 thanks to the commitment of the Municipality of Schio and with financial support from the Veneto Region, restores a valuable multifunctional space to the City.
