Drive through any part of the city and you’ll be able to spot the former mills in limbo, undergoing construction, or repurposed into bustling mixed use or residential hubs.
Greenville’s history as a textile mill town means there’s a whole lot of character within these properties + a lot of interest in making sure they remain part of the •fabric• of the city.
Here are three historic Greenville mills you’re going to want to keep an eye out for:
Woodside Mill
📍 County Rd. 845 (in West Greenville)
Past: Woodside Mill, built in 1902, was once the largest textile mill in the world. As the mill’s business grew, so did the village that developed around it (now known as the Woodside Cotton Mill Village Historic District, a nationally-registered historic area). The mill stopped textile production in 1984.Present: After two planned renovations of the property in 2012 fell through, the property sat empty until a 2016 proposal to annex Woodside into Greenville’s development zoning district. An Atlanta developer filed plans to renovate the mill into 300 apartments + possible townhomes, a general store, offices, an event venue + a brewery or restaurant. The plan to annex Woodside was given initial approval in Dec. 2016 by Greenville City Council.
Future: The developer, who previously transformed Loray Mill in Gastonia, NC into the Loray Mill Lofts, has big plans for each of the mill buildings. The 550,000 sq. ft. mill building will be market-rate apartments + a brewery or restaurant; a 25,000 sq. ft. building will be retail or commercial space; and a smaller 2,400 sq. ft. building will become an event venue.
The mill is still surrounded by residential space + the developers have decided not to fence in the property to keep the community connection intact. There are also plans to bring a Swamp Rabbit Trail spur to the property for even greater public access.
Judson Mill
📍 701 Easley Bridge Rd. (in West Greenville)
Past: Judson was opened in 1912 as Westervelt Mill, but was reorganized + renamed Judson Mill in 1913. In 1960, the textile mill became a division of Milliken & Company and continued production until it closed in Feb. 2015.
Present: The 36-acre property was put on the market for $8.5 million + in 2016, North Carolina company Belmont Sayre announced plans to buy Judson + renovate it into a mixed-use site. The sale officially took place in Oct. 2017.
Future: Belmont Sayre, a company with a history of transforming historic buildings, intends to create retail, residential, office + light industrial space in the 800,000 sq. ft. mill, which could include a pharmacy or grocery store. Judson Mill will become Judson District, and step one is to include workforce housing ranging from 565 to 2,200 sq. ft. Later phases of development would pursue solutions to the area’s “food desert” with a grocery store + retail spaces.
Pre-leasing of office and industrial space has already begun, with interest from local business who are drawn to the historic quality of the mill (a feature that Belmont Sayre plans to preserve in its redesign). A Nov. 2016 development timetable indicated renovation would be finished in the third quarter of 2018.
US Finishing & Cone Mill
📍 3555 Buncombe Rd. (about 3 miles north of downtown)
Past: Built in 1902, the mill (known as Union Bleachery at the time) was capable of producing 40 million yards of fabric per year in its prime. The facility grew from 160 acres to nearly 400 acres due to demand for the products.
The mill was sold in 1952 and renamed U.S. Finishing in 1984. Production continued in the mill until a fire in Nov. 2003 destroyed a large part of the 400,000 sq. ft. plant + caused production to shut down permanently. It was added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priority List in 2011 because of extreme environmental contamination + more of the building was demolished after asbestos was found.
Present: After the necessary environmental cleanup finished, US Finishing was put up for sale at 220 acres. The property includes 4 parcels of land: the Swamp Rabbit & Creek parcel, Former Plant parcel, Blue Ridge parcel + Dry & West Pond parcel.
Future: US Finishing is the perfect spot for a mixed-use site (residential, retail, office + light industrial spaces) thanks to its huge acreage + close proximity to the Swamp Rabbit Trail. The location + size of the property means that redeveloping it would have huge economic + community impact on the surrounding downtown and San Souci areas. The land is still for sale, but with the recent influx of mill renovations, it won’t be long before a developer proposes a new vision for the space.
Renovating these historic buildings will hopefully generate economic growth + build the communities around them without needing to start from the ground up.
Our local mills finding new life means that instead of forgetting the past, it can be part of the conversation as our city continues to grow + transform.
