The Olympia Mill was the world's largest cotton mill under one roof when it opened in 1899. The building contains more than 334,000 sq. ft. on four floors and opened with more than 100,000 spindles and 2,250 looms. The two towers in front rise some 65 feet above the roof line while two towers at the rear rise to roof line only. The four towers contain stairs and rest rooms. The tops of the towers contained 15,000 gallon reservoirs to supply the building's sprinkler system. The mill operated from 1899 until 1996.
Today the mill contains 1, 3, and 4-bedroom apartments that rent for $800 to $2,600 (USD) per month. Along with the nearby Granby Mill, also converted to apartments, the complex offers an outdoor swimming pool, tennis and volley ball courts, indoor gym and fitness room. Located only a mile from the University of South Carolina campus, the complex is clearly set up to attract a young clientele.
Good to hear that such a fine building has found a new use. In order to answer the question you didn't ask - after much research I eventually found that the watermill at Linton in my last post was a flour mill. It's much bigger than most other such mills around here - another coming up soon.
ReplyDeleteI bet those apartments are quite nice inside with the high ceilings, hopefully, and concrete walls, hopefully. In other words, I hope they didn't change the inside too much. Those are high rent prices for that part of the country, especially for students.
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