Linden Mills Needs Millions in Repairs. So, What’s Next?

Updated

The towns and cities around Genesee County have numerous State Historical Buildings & sites and several on the National Register of Historic Places, too.  One of the county's oldest buildings standing at 201 North Main Street in Linden, MI is still in use today by Linden's city government and the museum. That could all change.

Will Linden Mills get much needed repairs?

• City Manager, Ellen Glass, told ABC12 "it's tough to put the mill building over" other projects like roads and infrastructure which need attention. Make sense because the repair price tag is around $3 Million the city doesn't have (specifically) for the project.

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• There's an advisory board for the mill. It has approved seeking interest for private redevelopment of the building. That could mean anything from restaurants & retail to a boutique hotel... if that's a creative vision.

What types of repairs are needed at Linden Mill?

• Driving by you can see the paint peeling and general disrepair in the structure. In the above-mentioned report, it's noted there are stress fractures on the lower level, too. Plus, the building is on the Shiawassee River. Who knows what the foundation will need?

Historical and Present-Day Significance

• Even today, the community utilizes the space around Linden Mill to celebrate the holidays and annual events. It represents the third attempt at Linden having a gristmill according to Wikipedia. The first two were built and burned down in 1837 and 1838. By 1850 Linden Mills was built and has been a mainstay since.

It's easy to say, "it's old... just tear it down." Is that what we, as a community, want? Simply to replace it with another modern-day structure without any character? Sure, that's easy and cheaper... but, what if we could hang on to the history? All the memories created there can be shared every single time someone enters the building. That's a sense of community pride. We need more of that. So, let's help Linden Mills find a healthy future.