Lee Paper Company Mill Complex

Last updated
Lee Paper Company Mill Complex
Lee Paper Mill.jpg
Location300 W. Highway St., Vicksburg, Michigan
Coordinates 42°06′51″N85°32′16″W / 42.11417°N 85.53778°W / 42.11417; -85.53778 (Lee Paper Company Mill Complex) Coordinates: 42°06′51″N85°32′16″W / 42.11417°N 85.53778°W / 42.11417; -85.53778 (Lee Paper Company Mill Complex)
Area30 acres (12 ha)
Built1904 (1904)
Built byCharles A. Moses Company
ArchitectDaniel J. Albertson
NRHP reference # 16000524 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 11, 2016

The Lee Paper Company Mill Complex is a former factory located at 300 West Highway Street in Vicksburg, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. [1] In 2017, a mixed-use development project was announced for the property, to be renamed The Mill at Vicksburg. [2]

Vicksburg, Michigan Village in Michigan, United States

Vicksburg is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,906 at the 2010 census. The west part of the village is in Schoolcraft Township and the east part is in Brady Township.

National Register of Historic Places Federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

Contents

History

The paper industry was established in the Kalamazoo River Valley in 1866, with the opening of the first paper mill in the area. The industry expanded through the valley, and by the end of the century was a major contributor to the economy of the region. In 1903 George E. Bardeen, who owned another paper mill in the area, partnered with investors Fred Lee, William Howard, and Charles Seitz to propose the establishment of a new paper mill in Vicksburg. The village supported the idea, and later the year the men incorporated the Lee Paper Company, with Frederick Lee as the major shareholder and president. The company hired Daniel J. Albertson as the engineer and architect of the firm, and the Charles A. Moses Company of Chicago to construct the mill buildings. [3]

Chicago city and county seat of Cook County, Illinois, United States

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,705,994 (2018), it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the US, with portions of the northwest city limits extending into DuPage County near O'Hare Airport. Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, often referred to as Chicagoland. At nearly 10 million people, the metropolitan area is the third most populous in the nation.

Construction on the mill started in 1904, and production in the new facility began in early 1905. The company struggled during its first years, but starting in 1911 hit a period of prosperity, helped along by the World War I economic boom in the later 1910s. However, an economic slowdown in the early 1920s, and the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, nearly ruined the company. However, better conditions in the later 1930s, and the spike in business from World War II, meant that the company could expand operations. This continued until 1959, when the Lee Paper Company merged with Simpson Timber Company to form the Simpson Lee Paper Company. More mergers followed, as the company was absorbed into the Simpson Paper Company in 1971, and then the Fox River Paper Company in 1996. The mill continued to operate until 2001. [3]

World War I 1914–1918 global war starting in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the Seminal Catastrophe, and initially in North America as the European War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Great Depression 20th-century worldwide economic depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries, it started in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how intensely the world's economy can decline.

World War II 1939–1945, between Axis and Allies

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

After 2001, the mill property was purchased by a private group, the Mill of South County LLC. [3] However, the property remained vacant, and Kalamazoo County government acquired the property in 2013 in a "tax reversion" action. [4] In 2017, a mixed-use development project was announced for the property, to be renamed The Mill at Vicksburg. [2] The first portions of the redevelopment are expected to be completed in 2022 and it is currently the site of an artist's residency. [5] [6]

Artist-in-residence programs exist to invite artists, academicians, and curators to reside within the premises of an institution.

Description

The Lee Paper Company Mill Complex consists of thirty separate buildings, most of them interconnected, sited on a 30 acres (12 ha) parcel. Fifteen of the buildings, which contain the majority of the square footage, contribute to the historic character of the site. The buildings date from 1904 to 1990, with the majority built during the original construction of the mill in 1904. The buildings range from two to five stories in height, and are mostly brick, with some concrete block and steel buildings intermingled. [3]

The oldest of the buildings have load-bearing brick walls with low gable roofs, with slow-burning timber frame construction on the interior. The walls are of cream-colored brick, with corbelling along the roofline. The windows are large multi-light (originally double-hung 12-over-12 or 16-over-16) wood units in jack arch openings with concrete sills. Many windows have been subsequently filled in. [3]

Jack arch

A jack arch is a structural element in masonry construction that provides support at openings in the masonry. Alternate names are "flat arch" and "straight arch".

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Program: Lee Paper Company Mill Complex". National Park Service. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Tom Haroldson (July 1, 2017). "$50 million project unveiled for old Vicksburg paper mill". MLive.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jessica Green Quijano (January 8, 2015), National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Lee Paper Company Mill Complex (PDF), National Park Service
  4. ↑ Sue Moore (April 11, 2014). "What is Being Done to Revive the Old Paper Mill in Vicksburg?". South County News. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". The Mill at Vicksburg. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Prairie Ronde Artist Residency | Vicksburg Michigan". The Prairie Ronde Artist Residency. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
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