Preservation NC Celebrates Edenton Mill - the Gift that Keeps on Giving

Oct. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- When Unifi, Inc. shuttered its Edenton Cotton Mill operations in 1995, area citizens mourned the loss of one of the town’s biggest employers.  But 15 years later, they are celebrating the upside of that occasion: the success of one of the state’s most historic, desirable and economically diverse coastal neighborhoods.

“It really has been a great success story,” says Claudia Deviney of Preservation North Carolina, the nonprofit group chosen by Unifi to receive the 44-acre mill property as a donation.  “We were able to save an important part of Edenton’s history, generate social capital for the region, stimulate tourism, and boost the area’s tax base by almost $23 million.  I call the donation from Unifi the gift that keeps on giving.”

Transformation of the idle industrial site and mostly vacant mill village into an eye-catching neighborhood of homes and modern condos will be recognized during a Preservation Celebration set for 6-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, at the Edenton Cotton Mill, 715 McMullan Avenue.  The public is invited to enjoy cocktails and a generous selection of hors d’oeuvres while touring some of the renovated mill’s 30 condo units. Tickets for the event are $35 and are available by calling 919-832-3652 or online at www.PreservationNC.org.

The Unifi donation was a milestone for Preservation NC as well as Edenton, and it remains the organization’s largest rehabilitation project to date.  Upon receiving the donation, Preservation NC acted quickly to draw up a development plan for the site, subdividing lots, upgrading roads, adding sewer lines and other infrastructure.

The 57 houses in the village were built between 1899 and 1923 and range from small tin-roofed worker cottages to larger supervisor residences. All were eventually sold to individual buyers, some for as little as $16,000, with preservation covenants to guide rehabilitation. Additions were restricted to no more than one-third the size of the dwelling, and original doors and windows and other architectural details were to be kept intact wherever possible.  The result is a picturesque village reflective of a turn-of-the-century neighborhood alongside Queen Anne’s Creek. Today’s average home prices are well in excess of $200,000.

Buyers in the village included several former mill workers who had been renting homes from Unifi – some of whom became homeowners for the first time.  Additionally, six undeveloped lots were marketed for new infill construction.  Over the past half-dozen years, the Cotton Mill itself has been redeveloped with 17,000 square feet of modern condominium space.

“The Mill Village adds a whole new dimension to our inventory of historic architecture,” says Anne-Marie Knighton, town manager for Edenton. A town of some 5,000 residents, Edenton was established in 1712 on the banks of the Albemarle Sound and is considered one of North Carolina’s most attractive – and historic – communities. “The rehabilitation enabled us to expand our local and national historic districts and has enhanced our tax base.”

Not only has the Edenton Mill Village project spurred economic vitality in the region, it also made possible Preservation NC’s Northeast Regional Office, which has since assisted in the preservation of scores of endangered historic properties across the eastern part of the state.  The Edenton Cotton Mill project also became the prototype for PNC’s statewide Industrial Heritage initiative through which dozens of abandoned mills and factories have been saved, directly or indirectly.  A recent economic study of the North Carolina historic rehabilitation tax credits, initiated by Preservation NC in 1997, indicates that every $1 million invested in historic building rehabilitation creates 41 new jobs, encourages additional private investment, improves local property values and increases tourism spending throughout the community.

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Preservation North Carolina protects and promotes historic buildings and sites reflecting the state's diverse heritage. As a nonprofit, we provide educational outreach, a comprehensive website, and direct action through our Endangered Properties Program.