The largest flour mill in floor area, is the Washburn “A”, which stands on the west side between the “canal” and 2nd St. near 6th Av. S. Its construction was commenced immediately after the destruction of its predecessor by the great explosion of 1878 and it was finished in 1880. The mill covers a ground space of 100 by 240 feet, is eight stories high and from the plat- form over the canal to the top of the cupola is 158 feet. In the walls, which are five feet thick at the base and 20 inches at the top, are 371,250 cubic feet of masonry and over 2,750,000 feet of lumber went into the construction. A daily capacity of 12,000 barrels of flour is credited to the Washburn “A.” The mill is recommended for inspection and intending visitors may secure permits at the office of the Washburn-Crosby Co. in the Chamber of Commerce building. Minneapolis & St. Paul electric line.
-Hudson’s Dictionary of Minneapolis and Vicinity, 1918
After World War I, flour production in Minneapolis began to decline, but the Washburn A Mill didn’t get shut down until 1965. The Mill sat empty for decades. Occasionally transients and kids (pictured below) would brake in, drink beer and explore. In 1991 a fire damn near destroyed the place, but the Minneapolis Community Development Agency, somehow managed to stabilize the ruins. After the city cleared the rubble and reinforced the 19th century walls, the Minnesota Historical Society went to work on a milling museum and education center. A couple years later a new building took shape inside the ruins. Efforts were made to preserve as much of the fabric of the historic building as possible and a variety of the mill’s features were left intact.
