Lexitecture Patterns: The Old Mill

One of the most unique structures in Lexington is the Old Mill. I thank the Lord that someone decided not to tear it down once it ceased operations. Luckily for us today, Lexington was built around this mill instead of the railroad, unlike many other small towns in the state(like Irmo, for example). Just imagine what traffic would be like with a freight train running through town every day... but I digress.

Even among SC mills, ours is incredibly unique. Most are large, dominating, monolithic buildings that loomed over their domain, like the Granby and Olympia Mills in Columbia. Conversely, our mill is a low-profile and organic building that rises from the ground and becomes part of the rocky hillside, beautifully balanced in the vertical direction with the smokestack tower. This architectural and historical treasure needs to be fully revived and celebrated.

The first step in this process is tapping into the mill’s potential. The whole backside of the mill and the levee have been neglected. This is already a dynamic space. We need to develop this area as a new public plaza, and begin extending a greenway path down the creek and along the waterfront. When the greenway is fully complete, this will be the center meeting point of the east and west sides of town, and the connection point between downtown and the greenway. The mill becomes the center of town again, just like a century ago.

The Old Mill pattern involves large, open, extended, lofted spaces separated by party walls with a very shallow gable roof. You can tell that it was built additively, expanding as demand increased for clothing production. The oldest sections of the complex are stone and the successive additions have brick construction. The ability to expand like this allows the business to maximize production and grow with unlimited flexibility. This is the strength of the Old Mill pattern, and businesses can use it today in the same way.

The adjacent buildings are also important patterns, which are essentially larger lofted versions of the main street pattern, connected with party walls and linearly organized. If you look closely at the buildings, you’ll notice that there used to be five of them, but three have been torn down for parking. I believe a full Old Mill rejuvenation would spring from rebuilding these lost sections, and extending new structures along the Mill Pond’s waterfront, creating new spaces for restaurants, retail, offices, residences, and multi-level parking, all with a beautiful connection to the water.

The Old Mill’s patterns could be the key to transforming Lexington into a destination for business, shopping, eating, and life.

Let’s build a better Lexington.