Typical Aparment Floor

Lobby / Mail Room / Elevators / Restrooms

Gym / Fitness Studio

Storage for Tenants Bike Room

Apartment Community Space / Gym Convenient Store / Liquor Store

Storage for Tenants

Dry Cleaners

Floor LoungeBusiness Center

& GymHotel O�ces /Service area

Check in Desk

Bar

LobbySitting Area

Ballroom / Multi-Purpose

Elevators

LobbyBakery Restaurant

Driveway Canopy

PARKING

BAKERY W/ OUTDOOR PATIO

THE GRAIN APARTMENTS

THE A MILL HOTEL

MILL AND MAIN OFFICES

THE ELEVATOR

BAR

SKYWAY

CANOPY

WHITE GRAIN ELEVATORS

RED TILE GRAIN

ELEVATORSPILLSBURY A MILL & WAREHOUSE

SITEPLAN

before & after

SOUTHELEVATIONbefore & after

PROGRAM PROPOSAL (”a” mill complex // white grain elevators)

first floor

floors 7-9

main floor

O�ces by Floor Elevator Bar

the grain aparmentsthe mill and main offices // the mill and main bakery // the elevator bar

the “a” mill hotel

white grain elevatorswarehouse and red tile grain elevatorpillsbury “a” mill

WHY NOW?The Mill Complex is at risk of piecemeal redevelopment, the major concern behind local support. It is now owned by a bank that has signed purchase agreements with two separate development �rms. Local residents fear that the site will be broken up for piecemeal development, an outcome that could have negative consequences for the site’s historic buildings and landscape. Buildings that are more challenging to rehabilitate could sit vacant for years, deteriorating due to lack of maintenance and vandalism.

MAXIMIZE THE VIEWS TO DOWNTOWN

Proposal

WHY NOW?

build site comprehensivelyMAINTAIN OPEN, LIGHT FEELING

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITE’S LOCATIONkeep the industrial character while introducing contemporary design

Current Proposed

explore site creatively

ARCHIVAL

INSPIRATION

Pillsbury “A” Mill TIANA CARRETTA // ERIKA SORENSEN

ARCH 3250 -003 // HISTORICAL PRESERVATION

Pillsbury “A” Mill & Warehouse // 1881, 1914-17

White Concrete Grain Elevators // 1914

Red Tile Grain Elevators // 1910

CHARACTER DEFINING ELEMENTS

OPEN INTERIORThe open space of the interior of the A mill is important because it allows for natural light.It also shows the amount of space that was needed to operate the machinery.

SCALE / SHAPE / DETAILSMaking any changes or building any additions to the simple structure of the mill would alter the shape or scale, changing the historic aesthetic that is unique to the A Mill. The original signage of the building, a simple concrete “Pillsbury” and “A” set into the façade of the building, is an iconic detail that identi�ed it from across the river.

SETTINGThe placement of Pillsbury A Mill on the Mississippi River at St Anthony Falls was crucial to the success of the mill, not only because of the access to the water power provided by the only falls in the river, but also because of the railroad access. Moving the site would compromise the signi�cance that the A Mill had in the 1900’s as the largest mill in the world, and the signi�cance it carries today as one of the main contributors to the development of the area.

SITE CONTEXT

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

. . . where is the site?

. . . why should the pillsbury a mill be saved?

The Complex is part of the St. Anthony Main Historic District, a central hub connecting the Warehouse District, Northeast Minneapolis, Marcy Homes, the University of Minnesota, and Downtown Minneapolis. St. Anthony Main is a combination of industrial sites redeveloped to include newer commercial buildings and residences, a cinema, and various restaurants and bars. As such, the site is easily accessible by many di�erent transportation modes including LRT, Car, Ped, Bike, and Bus.

TO DOWNTOWN

TO NORTHEAST

TO MARCY HOLMES

TO U OF M

TO DOWNTOWN

Industry Housing BusinessPillsbury A Mill Restaurants

The Pillsbury A Mill was constructed on the Mississippi River at St. Anthony Falls in 1881. At the time of its construction the �our mill was the largest and most advanced in the world, and held this title for nearly 40 years.

The Pillsbury A Mill is an outstanding example of a mill and the associated milling technologies that illustrate an important stage in industrialization, allowing the mill to process previously discarded grains. It is also the last standing mill to represent the stage in history in which water power was the driving source for many types of mills.

According to the National Historic Register, the Pillsbury A Mill sits on a site 150 feet by 200 feet along St. Anthony Main Street. In addition to the A Mill, the Complex also includes several other newer buildings, a large block of grain elevators, and tunnels underground, all totaling a 7.9 acre site. The entire complex is bound by 2nd Street (to the north), Main Street (to the south), Third Ave (to the west) and Sixth Ave (to the east).

NORTHEASTMINNEAPOLIS

MARCY HOMESWAREHOUSEDISTRICT

BLDGSITE

DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS

DINKYTOWN/UNIVERSITY OF

MINNESOTA

LRT BUSCAR PED

Charles Alfred Pillsbury hired architect LeRoy S. Bu�ngton to design the mill, making it �rst mill ever to be designed by an architect instead of an engineer. With this bold move, the design of the building became just as notable as its size and production capacity. Because of Bu�ngton’s lack of engineering knowledge, however, the building was not structurally sound enough to support the vibrations of the machinery; in 1905 extensive structural supports were added.

Once referred to as “Mill City,” the Pillsbury A Mill is now the only standing giant mill that helped make Minneapolis the milling capital of the nation between 1880 and 1930.

. . . what needs to be preserved?

SHAPEThe shape of the concrete elevators is important because its massing is solid with no voids.

MATERIALThe elevators are made out of reinforced concrete, which is important because it represents the modernization of the mill.

SCALE The scale of the concrete elevators, 104 ft by 260 ft, is important because it showcases the high volume of production the Mill was producting by 1914.

1881 Current1910

MATERIALThe material of the Red Tile Elevator is important because it is unique to this elevator.

SIGNAGEThe “Pillsbury’s Best Flour” sign that sits atop the Red Tile Elevator is important because it is a testimony to modernization.

SHAPEThe shape of the Red Tile Elevators is important because of the unique massing of the block bins and the head house.