Dallas Manufacturing Company’s Cotton Mills
Benjamin Griffin, Fall 2024
For this project, I chose the Dallas manufacturing company’s cotton mills as my location. The Dallas Mill in Huntsville, Alabama, was constructed in 1891. The mill was proposed in the 1880’s to increase the industrial presence in Huntsville, which only had around 5000 residents at the time. The Dallas mill would be one of the first major textile mills in Huntsville, and when it opened, it was one of the largest in the south. The Dallas mill was built next to the Southern railroad, which would be beneficial for logistics. The mill contained 704 looms and 25,000 spindles, and that number would increase not long after it opened. The Dallas mill also had 2 smoke stacks, a water tower, and 2 warehouses The Dallas mill initially employed around 500 people, but that number would increase to around 1,200 in the 1900’s. In 1955, the Dallas mill would be leased out to be used as a warehouse. This came after constant issues with the workforce at the mill. In 1986, proposals were made to convert the Dallas mill into a community center. It would feature a workspace for artistic projects, and a central hub for United way activities. A report entitled “Development of a Huntsville community center” outlines many of the benefits for the project. One of the main selling points for the Dallas mill was that it was over 300,000 square feet in floor area. An architectural review from the Jones and Herrin company states that the original building was 660ft x 110ft x 5 floors of space. The site also featured 2 warehouses separated from the main building. Additionally, the structure was in excellent condition, as also reported in an architectural review. According to “Development of a Huntsville community center” the asked price for the Dallas mill was $1,750,000. Another benefit frequently mentioned about using the Dallas mill as a community center was its location next to I-565. Not only would this help with people traffic, but the local government provided a $400,000 grant for this specific project location. This would result in the final cost for the restoration project to be $2,225,000. Unfortunately, this project would never be started, and the Dallas mill would get purchased by a real estate developer. The developer intended to use the Dallas mill for his own projects, but would face issues due to an ongoing recession, causing the mill to be neglected. On July 24, 1991, the Dallas mill would burn down, which would be a loss to the community. In a interview with the Huntsville times, the owner of the building, Gene McLain stated “The burning of Dallas Mills is a great loss to me and to the city and to the community, because it was a grand old building” and “I and many others had visions about how it could have been used for the benefit of everyone in Huntsville and the surrounding area” in response to the buildings demise. Police investigation began shortly after the burning as evidence led to the belief that the fire was caused by arson. According to an article by Julie T. Schultz, 2 teenage boys were initially suspected of causing the fire, but Arsonist gene moon admitted to burning the building after being arrested for an unrelated crime. In the spot where the Dallas mill was, an apartment complex now resides. The Lofts at Dallas mill is a mid range complex located next to I-565 and a railroad.