Saxapahaw is in the middle of nowhere
but close to everywhere. It’s 14 miles west of Chapel Hill; 15 miles south of Burling- ton; and 15 minutes from I-85/40, a major east-west interstate. Saxapahaw’s economy had long been based on textiles, but when its two mills along the Haw River closed in the mid-1990s, the town of approximately 1,500 dwindled. Mac Jordan, the grandson of the textile
mills’ owner, was an architectural student at the time and focused his final project on the revitalization of Saxapahaw with the mills being central to his plan. By 2005, he had turned part of his architecture-school project into reality when he converted Saxapahaw’s lower mill into 75 loft-style apartments. Jordan then set his sights on the 100,000-square-foot upper mill and found five individuals who were eager to help de- velop the upper mill into mixed-use space. With the help of a dedicated design and
construction team, as well as the skill of local artisans, the unique ownership team has created a village-like atmosphere in the upper mill, including commercial space and condominiums that are true to the mill’s history while providing conveniences to which Saxapahaw’s residents had not been accustomed. In fact, Saxapahaw Riv- ermill has become such a draw that people from all over North Carolina and beyond are not only visiting Saxapahaw, but also settling there.
Diverse Ownership Before the six-member ownership team officially came together, Jordan developed 19,000 square feet of the upper mill into a charter school. A gas station/convenience store, Saxapahaw General Store, had existed in mill space adjacent to the school for ap- proximately 10 years. Grocery provisions and a grill were added to the store five years ago, about the same time the rest of the upper mill’s renovation began. Meanwhile, Heather and Tom LaGarde
moved from New York City to the Saxapa- haw area to raise their children just as the lower mill renovation was nearing completion. Heather had grown up in the area, and Tom had played basketball for the University of North Carolina before entering the NBA. The couple established a weekly farmer’s market and summer music festival on the mill property as a way to attract attention to the lower mill’s loft
apartments, which consequently helped generate interest in revitalization of the upper mill. As an extension of the festival and market, the LaGardes were interested in developing what would become the Haw River Ballroom, an event center, and Cup 22, a coffee shop, in the upper mill. Claire Haslam, who had returned to
North Carolina from Australia and was in sports medicine, and Doug Williams, who is a steel and crane industry executive, were living in a loft in the lower mill and heard that Jordan was planning to develop the rest of the upper mill with commercial space and condominiums. “Living in the apartments, we knew what a great envi- ronment we lived in. The windows are big and look out on the river and there is this really genuine interaction with nature and people,” Haslam explains. “Mac’s goal was to build a community; we saw this by living there and wanted to be part of it.” Not only did Haslam and Williams decide to pur- chase a condo in the upper mill, but they also offered to develop what would become The Eddy Pub, a warm, family-friendly space that is reminiscent of traditional English pubs. Haslam and Williams partnered with
Jeff Barney, a local butcher and food arti- san, and Cameron Ratliff, a local teacher turned baker, on The Eddy Pub and Saxapa- haw General Store. Barney acts as The Eddy Pub’s chef, creating traditional pub fare. The store and pub are dedicated to serving unique entrees utilizing local ingredients. Although the enthusiastic owner-
ship team had great expectations for the redevelopment of the mill, there was a lot of confusion in the beginning. “We would hold meetings and walk through the mill and become really frustrated trying to be architects,” Williams recalls. “When we chose the architectural firm, which was Alphin Design Build [Raleigh, N.C.], and Will Alphin brought in Clearscapes [Raleigh] because of the size of the project, they brought formality to the programming of the space. Everybody could breathe.” Fred Belledin, AIA, principal of Clearscapes,
says the ownership team was extraordinary in its vision and commitment to develop- ment of the upper mill. He explains: “We’re used to clients who want to build a bar, event center or hotel, but this group said they wanted to build a village. They had their own desires for their individual spaces,
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Circle No.12 March-April 2013 // RETROFIT 23
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