Mill conversion

Mill Conversion or mill rehab is a form of adaptive reuse in which a historic mill or industrial factory building is restored or rehabilitated into another use, such as residential housing, retail shops, office, or a mix of these non-industrial elements (mixed-use).

In the United States the development of industry during 19th and early 20th century resulted in the construction of thousands of mills or factory buildings typically of brick or stone masonry construction across the nation, with a high concentration in the Northeast. By 1920, there were hundreds of mill towns across the region built for the production of textiles and other goods, such as shoes, machinery and other items. However, the Northern textile industry would suffer greatly beginning in the early 1920s, with the failure of many of these companies, and the rise in competition from Southern mills. Other industries would follow, especially during the later part of the 20th century, when globalization changed the economy, and entire industries began to move overseas to developing nations. Through the 20th century, many mills carried on in a variety of industrial purposes, other than original intended use. Many were used for storage, or other small enterprises. Still, many more remained mostly vacant and underutilized through the middle part of the 20th century, and even today. Many vacant mill buildings have become a target for vandalism, arson and contribute to urban blight in many communities.

A similar scenario has also played out in Great Britain and elsewhere in Europe during this same timeframe.

Beginning in the 1960s, there was a large public outcry throughout the United States for an increase in historic preservation, to stop the loss of historic structures that began during the 1950s with urban renewal projects in big cities and small towns across the nation. A similar movement occurred in Great Britain decades earlier.

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