The Old Flour Mill in Fort Collins was built by local farmers

Harmony Mill and Elevator Co., Fort Collins Colorado

Date added: January 12, 2024

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Colorado
Mill

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The Harmony Mill building was constructed by the Farmers' Protective Association of Fort Collins, a group which was organized to protect the interests of local wheat growers against regional millers discrimination in the purchase of grain. Association members felt that the time had come for them to grind their own wheat, and began the construction of the Farmers' Mill (later renamed Harmony Mill) less than three years after their first meeting. Mismanagement forced the closing of the mill after just a few years of service.

Local farmers first came together in the fall of 1883 to discuss events that seemed to indicate a bias on the part of local millers with regard to wheat grown in Larimer County. As a result of this meeting, the Farmers' Protective Association (FPA) was incorporated under the laws of Colorado in January 1884. Many of the area's most prominent local farmers were members of this group, including John G. Coy, Peter Anderson, and Joseph Murray, as well as J.E. and Z.C. Plummer. During the next 31 months, the FPA organized farmers and taught them the value of cooperation in protecting their interests. The association also spent this time seeking to arouse public sentiment for the farmers, raising capital, and making building and business plans to ensure the viability of a new mill in an already competitive market.

Ground was broken for the state-of-the-art mill in August of 1886. The building is situated on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Willow Street, on what was Lots 1 and 3 of Block 9 of the original townsite of Fort Collins. It fronts southeast onto Lincoln Avenue which, at the time of construction, was one of the main roads into town. The building was constructed immediately across the street from Lindell Mills, one of the very mills which FPA members claimed had discriminated against the farmers by underpaying local wheat growers for their product and importing wheat from other states.

The FPA saw to it that their mill was solidly built so as to support the heavy equipment it was to house. The building was constructed in commercial block style, with foundation walls 30 inches in thickness. Those of the first and second floors are 20 and 16 inches thick, respectively; and the third and fourth-floor walls are both 12 inches thick. Though built specifically for industrial use, the architects did not neglect to add decorative elements. Notable details include the brick entablature, symmetrical design, brick walls, and stone foundation and window trim.

Unfortunately, the farmers did not manage their mill with the same care used when they had planned for it. Research indicates that from 1886 to 1895, Harmony Mill not only survived, but flourished. Soon thereafter, however, the mill saw its downfall, and records show that, by 1901, poor management forced the mill to close permanently. Since that time, the property has served as a wholesale grocery store, a produce market, a veterinary supply store, a warehouse and, most recently, a residence. The mill is currently vacant.

Harmony Mill has undergone many physical changes over the years both in the way of additions to the original building, and demolition of those additions. Fortunately, despite destruction of the original boiler room and a devastating 1987 fire, the mill today is remarkably similar to that as it was built in 1886.

Building Description

Harmony Mill is a massive, commercial block, four-story, rectangular building with a flat roof and decorative brick entablature. The red brick walls are laid on a stone foundation in regular bond, with every seventh layer in header bond. Facade and side elevations are symmetrical, with tall, evenly spaced windows that have flat arches, wide rubbed stone lintels, and roughly finished stone sills. In the center of the facade are paneled and glazed double doors with a divided transom and rubbed stone lintel. Similar doors are positioned on the northeast and southwest sides of the mill. Also, a door that once led into the mill's boiler room is now exposed on the building's northwest (i.e., rear) side. Six-over-six windows flank the front door, and are located on other floors. Identical windows are positioned in a similar pattern on all sides of the building. The walls of the building, being 30, 20, 16, 12, and 12 inches thick for the basement, first, second, third, and fourth floors, respectively, support themselves. Individual floors are supported by heavy timber posts and beams. Positioned in the center of the building is an abandoned freight elevator.

The building is situated on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Willow Street, on what was Lots 1 and 3 of Block 9 of the original townsite of Fort Collins. It fronts southeast onto Lincoln Avenue which, at the time of construction, was one of the main roads into town. The mill is taller than neighboring buildings, yet it is similar in footprint. Harmony Mill is unlike its current neighbors with regard to material, construction, and date; however, it does have a historic relation with the Ranchway Feeds building next door. The feed building is located on the lot that was once home to Lindell Mills, Fort Collins' first mill and one of the predecessors to Farmers' Mill (later renamed Harmony Mill).

Several changes have been made to the mill since its construction in the late 19^th century. Ground was broken for the building in August 1886. The 48- by 68-foot mill was built on a 100-foot by 185-foot parcel of land along with an attached 30-foot by 48-foot one-story boiler room. By 1887, however, it was clear that the original building was not large enough, and a one-story, 18-foot by 68-foot flour warehouse was added to the building's northeast face. In order to accommodate this warehouse, two of the northeast-facing windows were altered. The window closest to the rear of the building was enlarged to create a second, double-door entrance to the warehouse, and the window just southeast of that was bricked in.

A January 1891 Sanborn fire insurance map shows that at some point since 1887, the easternmost portion of the warehouse was made into an office. It was probably at this time when the third of the three northeastern-facing windows was altered, enlarged to make a doorway to this office. This same map also indicates the addition of an oil room, a coal house, and a room which houses what appears to be a coal-burning engine on the northeast and northwest sides of the building, as well as platforms which ran the length of the warehouse and office, and the southeast side.

November 1895 and January 1901 Sanborn maps show no sign of major alterations to the building. The March 1901 Sanborn map indicates that the southeast platform had been removed, and notes that the building is a "vacant old mill." The only modification made for the September 1909 fire insurance map was to note that the building was home to a new business, Fort Collins Wholesale Grocery. The same holds true for the December 1917 map, as the only change noted for the building was in name, to A.T. Gilkinson & Co. The last Sanborn map available, that for December 1925, does not indicate any changes to the building since the previous map was made.

Information on what changes were made to the building between 1925 and 1968 is unavailable, as city building permit records are either nonexistent or missing. Unfortunately, the documentation that does exist is vague. For instance, the oldest record on file, a 1968 building permit, shows that one of the building's exterior doors was closed, however, it is unclear as to which door the permit refers. In 1972, the building was given a new hot-mop buildup roof and, in 1979, holes were cut into the building's interior walls and floors, though it is not specifically stated where these holes were made. (From a visual inspection, it has been noted that there are holes in several of the building's interior walls, as well as numerous hole patches in the mill's flooring.) The permit also notes that, in 1979, outbuildings were torn down, but once again it is impossible to tell exactly what was destroyed at this time.

There exists a boundary survey drawing from 1982 which also shows several changes to the mill. First, the drawing shows a large one-story concrete block addition to the building's northwest (i.e., rear) side where the boiler room, coal house, and coal furnace room once stood. Also, a one-story 16-foot by 18-foot concrete block addition had been built on the southernmost portion of the building's facade. The southernmost front first-floor window was then enlarged to create a doorway to this room, and exterior steps that led to this room were built on the mill's southeast side. Finally, it is important to note that this 1982 drawing showed that the building was no longer situated on a rectangular lot. The railroad tracks which are closest to the mill's southwest side were constructed diagonally across the original lot, dividing it. The lot had also been extended both to the south and northeast, forming a triangular parcel of land of just over 26,000 square feet.

Former owner Mr. Paul Heffron has stated that, from 1982 to 1984, he removed additions that were not original to the mill and part of the mill's third-floor decking, in addition to replacing bricks on the front of the building which had been removed to make a doorway. Mr. Heffron also installed new plumbing and electricity, and made other unspecified improvements to the interior. In 1987, the building caught on fire, and parts of the second, third, and fourth floors burned, destroying the building's roof and damaging the framing of the top two floors. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Heffron boarded the mill's windows and doors to provide security against vandals and transients.

Early in 1990, the building was purchased by Mr. Dennis Edwards, who has stated that, in 1992, he replaced some of the roof beams, then rolled and tarred the partial new roof. Mr. Edwards also installed a kitchen and bathroom, and updated the building's electrical hardware. In addition, he constructed interior stairs to the second and third floors and, in 1993, covered holes that had been made in the flooring. Mr. Edwards sold the building in June 1994 to Dr. Woldezion Mesghinna, president of Natural Resources Consulting Engineers, Inc.

Oddly, Harmony Mill today looks much as it did at the time of construction, making it an excellent example of a nineteenth-century flour mill. As far as the exterior is concerned, the only differences are the one-story boiler room which is now gone from the rear of the building, the altered northeast-facing windows, and the missing window glass. The interior, too, looks relatively similar, however, a few differences do exist. In the first-floor entryway, there stands a rather lovely antique safe.

Unfortunately, none of the records show any evidence of when it might have been installed. On the second floor, a kitchen area has been constructed. On the third floor, the decking was removed by Mr. Heffron remains missing and a bathroom has been installed. Large holes are found in the building's interior brick walls, and wood and sheetrock partitions have been constructed in several locations throughout the building. The southeastern flight of stairs referred to in an October 20^th, 1887, Fort Collins Courier article is now gone; the only stairs that now exist on this end of the building are those built by Mr. Edwards. In addition, there is some indication that there was once a millrace on what is believed to be the northeast side and, if so, this has since been destroyed. Unfortunately, research uncovered nothing that could either confirm or dispute the existence of a millrace.

The lot on which the mill rests remains unchanged from that depicted on the aforementioned 1982 boundary survey drawing. The portion of the lot between the building's face and Lincoln Avenue is covered with gravel and serves as a parking area. The remainder of the lot supports vegetation, but is not currently landscaped. The lot is covered with broken glass, used auto parts, and other debris, mostly as a result of the mill's recent use as a storage facility.

Harmony Mill and the lot on which it stands were once in or near the town's center of activity, however, this is no longer the case. Though just a few blocks from the restored portion of "Old Town" Fort Collins, at present the mill finds itself in a sparsely populated, industrial area of the city. Fortunately, the restoration of "Old Town" continues, and should soon reach the bounds of the original townsite.