Historic Preservation
Canton Cotton Mill, Canton, Georiga
Historic preservation is a complex process, but is hands down the most resourceful option. Textile mills are often preserved and transformed into loft apartments. Two local examples are The Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill in Atlanta, Georgia, now known as The Stacks: At Fulton Cotton Mill, and The Canton Cotton Mill in Canton, Georgia, now known as Canton Mill Lofts.
Before they were loft apartments, they were vital structures in their communities supplying jobs and supplies. These mills communities developed over time and grew until the eventual decline of textile mills decades later. After the mills lost the business, the buildings were unoccupied and uninhabited for several years. It is hard to imagine that these once pivotal infrastructures changed to an abandoned community.
After several years, the mills were finally bought and transformed into loft apartments. The infrastructures of the buildings required little change in historic design (WBDG Historic Preservation Subcommittee). After the preservation of these once textile mills, they were given a new life. They were once again the center of the community. The loft apartments captured a different crowd than the “normal” people in the community. According to Barbara Keenlyside in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the new ”profile of a loft apartment buyer shows an ideal group: with at least a college degree, 25 to 45 years old, with lots of disposable income. You see more affluent and educated people retaking part of the city” (Keenlyside). The areas around the mills have improved tremendously, which allows for more business to prosper.
Before they were loft apartments, they were vital structures in their communities supplying jobs and supplies. These mills communities developed over time and grew until the eventual decline of textile mills decades later. After the mills lost the business, the buildings were unoccupied and uninhabited for several years. It is hard to imagine that these once pivotal infrastructures changed to an abandoned community.
After several years, the mills were finally bought and transformed into loft apartments. The infrastructures of the buildings required little change in historic design (WBDG Historic Preservation Subcommittee). After the preservation of these once textile mills, they were given a new life. They were once again the center of the community. The loft apartments captured a different crowd than the “normal” people in the community. According to Barbara Keenlyside in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the new ”profile of a loft apartment buyer shows an ideal group: with at least a college degree, 25 to 45 years old, with lots of disposable income. You see more affluent and educated people retaking part of the city” (Keenlyside). The areas around the mills have improved tremendously, which allows for more business to prosper.
