The promise of fresh cookies and crackers still looms over West Broad Street near Scott's Addition, but the old Southern Biscuit Company plant has had cold ovens since 2006.

The sweet beginnings

Built in 1927, the tower began producing baked goods out of its main building — six stories of reinforced concrete. The company expanded the plant four times over the next few decades.

Inside the factory were two rotating rack ovens, each two stories high. Cookies baked as they rotated along circular racks, winding through the oven to ensure an even bake.

A black and white image of cookies on a conveyor belt. — A conveyor belt processes cookies at the factory. | Photo via Virginia State Chamber of Commerce; Library of Virginia Picture Collection

Around the 1930s, Southern Biscuit Company changed its branding to Famous Foods of Virginia and added a distinctive sign and a water tower, both of which still sit atop the building.

The factory was well-known for producing Girl Scout Cookies, and Southern Biscuit Company became the first officially licensed baker for the scouts in 1939.

The factory's final days

A few more mergers saw Southern Biscuit become part of George Weston Ltd. in 1946 and adopt the name Interbake Foods in 1967.

Decades later, in 2006, Interbake relocated all operations to a new facility in Fort Royal, VA, and the Richmond factory closed. Most of the building was emptied during the move, but the enormous ovens remained.

An overhead shot of the Science Museum (formerly train station) and FFV factory. — The production plant, pictured in 1978. | Photo via VCU Libraries Digital Collections

Six years later, the building was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register as well as the National Register of Historic Places. Now, the iconic part of Richmond's industrial skyline is home to the Cookie Factory Lofts, a 178-unit apartment complex. A developer bought the building in 2013, after years of vacancy.

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