As The Mill in Prattville gets new life, interest in downtown development heats up
Article written by Marty Roney of the Montgomery Advertiser
PRATTVILLE – The ongoing construction of the much anticipated, and much delayed, apartments in downtown Prattville is expected to kick off another round of development downtown.
Envolve Communities is building The Mill in Prattville to include 127 loft-style apartments in the five historic masonry structures of downtown’s iconic landmark.
Known to locals as “The Gin Shop,” the buildings at the foot of Main Street, along the banks of Autauga Creek, are why Prattville is here. Daniel Pratt founded the town that now bears his name in 1839. He picked the fall line of the creek to power his industrial empire — he made cotton gins — and to support his town. He also added a cotton spinning plant, lumberyard, foundry and other industries on the site.
It's a $37 million investment that had fits and starts along the way.
Interest in downtown has grown since construction on The Mill began last year and the apartments began filling up, said Matt Holtzscher, chairman of the Historic Prattville Redevelopment Authority.
“We would show the plans (for the apartments) to developers and potential clients, and they would say, ‘It looks nice,” Holtzsher said. “Now we can show them the work being done and people living there. It makes a difference.”
Work on the apartments is ongoing in the buildings and completed units are being made available in phases.
The Pickler House in downtown Prattville, Alabama (Photo credit Jake Crandall of the Montgomery Advertiser)
HPRA owns the Picker House, across the creek from The Mill, and the closed grocery store about a block away at the corner of Chestnut and Tichnor streets. Progress with the apartments has potential clients eyeing the two buildings.
“I would love to see the Picker House turned into a restaurant,” said Brie Cullman, of Prattville. “It’s a perfect spot for a deck overlooking the creek and dam. I could so see myself drinking a margarita with friends, watching the sunset.”
The Picker House is the sole surviving structure of the Gurney Building fire in 2002. A cotton spinning plant, the sprawling building stretched about a block long and was the twin of the Gin Shop. It was completely lost in the fire, which was found to be arson.
The Picker House was where cotton was graded before going into the plant.