Faison Enterprises has purchased a 5.7 acre lot at the former Chadbourn Hosiery Mill to be developed into apartments and retail for $10 million dollars. Chadbourn Mill (then Larkwood Mill) was built in 1947 by Herman Bieberman, son of a well known designer of mills throughout the south. The building was designed in the Art Moderne style. The clean, understated  quality broke with tradition and spoke of the new technology to come. It featured stylized concrete cornices, a grand cast stone entrance facing the railroad tracks, and recessed bands of brick. While we may see such a large building with few windows imposing, this highlighted state of the art industrial lighting and air conditioning system which controlled humidity and static to prevent thread breakage. The general offices of the company were located in the building and included modern business space and an oval lobby with terrazzo floor entrance.    

      The mill was one of the three largest hosiery mills in America. By 1900, Mecklenburg County had 14 mills, soon to be followed by 9 more, making it the 3rd largest county in North Carolina in cotton production. Some have been added to the National Registry and have gone on to be renovated as dwellings or mixed use space. Highland Park Mill, now Heist Brewery and Highland Mill Lofts, incorporated its historic smokestack. Alpha Mill's smokestack was preserved when building the Alpha Mills apartments. Developers at Atherton Mill in South End included the smokestack in their design. Lofts at NODA, formerly Mecklenburg Mill, retained its smokestack. The smokestack is shown in the concept sketch for the upcoming Thomkin's Hall, formerly Highland Park # 1. Unfortunately, smokestacks at Charlotte Company Mill(2), Ada Mill (for the passing of the Brookshire Freeway), Louise Mill, Dover Mill, and Victor Mill have all been demolished.

      The Chadbourn Mill will soon be demolished. The rezoning of the property includes a commitment from Faison to invest at least $50,000 in public art located in areas of the site that are visible from public streets. It was stated that the restoration or relocation of an existing smokestack on the property may be counted toward the $50,000 expenditure. So many mills with their iconic smokestacks have been lost already, it is imperative that steps be taken to keep them part of the cityscape and history of Mecklenburg County.  Please ask Faison to follow the example of developers who have chosen to acknowledge the prominent presence these mills once played in the history of Charlotte, by keeping the Chadbourn Mill smokestack intact.