Revolution Mills

I checked out the Revolution Mills website. Since I am interested in architectural preservation, the project is very interesting to me. It is exciting to see buildings that housed industries so important to the revitalization of the Southern economy are now finding a new purpose. Although the site could have been given a new purpose without the process of adding it the the historical registry, it is very gratifying to know that proper care has been taken in preserving everything that makes the buildings special. Preserving that also preserves the character and culture of the community. It is a reminder of the foundation of the community roots as well as pride and optimism for the future.

As an aside, this project reminds me of the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham that has gone through a beautiful restoration over the last several years. It houses shops, restaurants, offices and exclusive condominiums. In doing the restoration, they preserved as much of the original materials as possible, such as windows, brick and so on and carefully matched those that had to be replaced. The restoration completely changed the look and atmosphere of the area, which happens to be adjacent to the Durham Bulls ballpark.