Historic property near downtown Spartanburg will become luxury apartment homes
Initial plans have emerged for the redevelopment of the historic Drayton Mill property located minutes from downtown Spartanburg. Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc., the property owner, will act as master developer. Westbridge Partners and TMS Development have reached an agreement to purchase two 111-year-old former mill buildings on the site from Pacolet Milliken and repurpose them into luxury apartment homes, pending approval by the National Park Service.
Westbridge Partners and TMS Development plan to create 288 apartment homes out of the former spinning mill and weaving mill, according to a statement released Monday by Pacolet Milliken. Located on 10 acres of the site, the two mill buildings feature exposed heavy timber construction, 16-foot ceilings and maple floors. Construction on Drayton Mills Apartments is expected to begin in the spring of 2014, with Durham, N.C.-based Belk Architecture as the architect and Gay Construction Co. of Atlanta, Ga. as the general contractor. All four firms – Westbridge Partners, TMS Development, Belk Architecture and Gay Construction – have significant experience in the rehabilitation of historic sites, said Pacolet Milliken.
“The Drayton property’s legacy in Spartanburg has been both long and momentous,” said Richard Webel, president of Pacolet Milliken, in the release. “We are proud to say that this site will no longer lie dormant and will once again act as an asset to Spartanburg.”
Pacolet Milliken plans to remodel buildings on the 230-acre site for use as an event space, restaurant space, a community center and office space. Offices located there will be partially occupied by Pacolet Milliken, as well as by sustainably focused local nonprofits who will receive grants for the office space from Pacolet Milliken, said the company.
As part of the Spartanburg Trails & Greenways Master Plan, the developers will construct a one-mile greenway that, once completed, will provide public access and connect the property to destinations including Mary Black Hospital, Spartanburg Day School and Lawson’s Fork Creek, said the release.
The original 1902 mill, the architectural plans for which are now housed in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., was designed by Lockwood, Greene & Co. The 1919 red brick Tudor Revival company store and office building were designed by Greenville, S.C. architect J. E. Sirrine. In 1929, a second mill was built in the Drayton Mills complex to house the weaving operations, while the 1902 mill housed the spinning operations. In 1934, the plant employed 900 people, manufactured fine cotton goods and was the only plant in Spartanburg producing combed goods.
Financial problems following the Great Depression led to the sale of the mill complex to Deering Milliken Company in 1937. The cotton mill was recognized for excellence in production of war equipment during World War II, being presented with the Army-Navy “E” Award.
Drayton Mill ran continuously for 92 years, from 1902 until 1994, and is one of the few remaining intact historic textile mills remaining in the area.
