Mill Revitalization
Old textile mills surround the
west-side of downtown Greenville, some newly renovated and some still showing
the aged brick from years passed. Recently many of these mills were revitalized
and renovated into loft-style apartments, given the repetition of windows and
opportunity for a large number of spaces to create.
Not only did this make these
mills beautiful once again, it also began to provide more homes for people to
move into. However, these new apartments have been designed as ‘luxury-style homes’
and are quite unaffordable for the majority of the population. This is not
necessarily a bad thing but given the context and surrounding communities of
the mills, they do not lend themselves into be in this price-range. Small,
quaint, mill homes that surround these mills are occupied by lower income families,
families that are now being displaced due to rising property values and taxes.
This is one of the main negative aspects of this recent revitalization. The sad
part being it is hard to stop this process from happening as it is inevitable
for the surrounding communities of these mills to be affected by this process.
When Alex and I researched MPS's Greenville office we loved seeing the revitalization of an old bakery immediately next to a railroad track! They covered up one of the entrances I think downstairs where train cars used to drop off materials but still kept a lot of the existing. I also love how they build the frame for the spaces downstairs but allowed the businesses to come in and design it themselves. I would like to think they helped the community with their project, through image and economy. (ps, i know you know this cuz u work there)
ReplyDeleteThere is a good and bad to the Mill Revitalization movement in the Carolinas. The ones in Greenville haven't yet promoted gentrification in their immediate area. Not many box stores or strip malls have followed the trend which lends to property taxes to remain somewhat stable. In other parts of the Carolinas though, such as Fort Mill and even Columbia, the high demand of the Mill loft has brought with it, Publix, Walgreens, and Whole Foods which many consider the early signs of an area starting to gentrify.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Stevens & Wilkinson while they were working on the Cigar Factory renovation in Charleston. It was fascinating to see this process and hear all of the possible solutions for this building typology. I wonder if the original mill builders/designers ever saw them becoming what they are today.
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