120 Year Old Augusta Mill Is Coming Back To Life

If you've driven down Broad Street at the Augusta Canal lately, you've seen the progress on this old mill. Workers are now installing new windows as this 120 year old Augusta mill is coming back to life.

King Mill, a local institution for 120 years on the Augusta Canal, closed in 2001. Begun in 1881 as the John P. King Manufacturing Co., the mill's employees and management were integral to Augusta's commerce for 12 decades. In 1979, King employed more than 1,000 employees.

According to the Design Collective website, the master plan, which also involves the old Sibley Mill next door, calls for 250 retail apartments, restaurants, and a brewery. Also over one million square feet of office space.

The mill's hydropower plants are connected to the city grid, providing a source for low-cost, renewable energy linked to the city's grid. The master plan suggests streetscape improvements for Broad Street, greenway and trails enhancements along the canal, new parks and open spaces to support events and recreation, and infill development within the neighborhoods to create a thriving community.

According to the Augusta History website, J P. King Manufacturing Company began operations, in October 1883.  The original building was four stories tall and contained around 35,000 square feet.  If you drive on Goodrich Street and look at the front of the building, those walls are 3ft. thick.  You’ll also notice the windows have been bricked up.  They did this when air conditioning was brought into the building. Before that, you would open the windows in an attempt to keep the air moving.  The J. P. King Mill was purchased in 1968 by Spartan Mills. The price tag was $10 million dollars. They had over 600,000 square feet and almost 1500 employees.

It's going to be fun to watch the progress of this plan!