Rising Sun Mills is part of a larger complex of mills built between 1881 and the 1930s. The ten-acre, 13-building National and Providence Worsted Mills complex sits on two blocks in the Olneyville neighborhood. Relatively simple in design, the buildings have a timber-frame construction and flat or slightly sloping rooftops. The load-bearing red brick walls allow for more continuous room in the interior for factory equipment. The buildings had different functions, from storage of raw and finished materials to yarn production to cloth production. The height of each building ranges, but the two tallest ones stand at four tall stories. The large arched windows allow more daylight into the expansive interiors, and the dark brick smoke stack still stands as a testament to its industrial past.

The general aesthetic of the mill complex is anonymous, following standard principles of contemporary factory design. However Rising Sun stands out because it is among the first complexes of its kind to undergo major renovations, and therefore serves as a model for the future of many of Providence's historic factory buildings.

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