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V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I I I D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6 22 W ith much of the space occupied by commercial and residential tenants in seven restored historic buildings at the Bates Mill Complex, the largest and last of the buildings to be redeveloped is seeing interest from potential tenants as near as Maine and as far as the West Coast. e complex, occupying 12 acres along Canal Street in downtown Lewiston, comprises eight buildings totaling approximately 1.2 million square feet. If all goes as planned, the largest building — the sprawling, 350,000-square-foot Mill 5 — will undergo renovation by Auburn-based Platz Associates, an architectural, engineering and construction firm involved in the entire complex's redevelopment since 1997. e project is a long time coming for the historic complex, which originally had 10 buildings dating back to Bates Manufacturing Co.'s textile roots in the 1850s. Once Maine's largest employer, Bates at its 1950s peak employed more than 5,000. "Bates Mill was the economic lifeblood of the community," says Lewiston Economic and Community Development Director Lincoln Jeffers. By the 1980s, the company was in decline due to foreign competition. Maintenance of the mill com- plex was deferred. "It became a deteriorated white elephant in the heart of downtown," says Jeffers. In 1992, the city took control of the property in lieu of unpaid taxes and created the Lewiston Mill Redevelopment Corp. to lead redevelopment. rough subsequent years, the city invested local, state and federal funds in various aspects of the project, such as site cleanup, building stabilization and development planning. More recently, related activities include acquisition of nearby real estate in order to construct two parking garages to support the revitalized complex. Eyesore or 'historic gem'? In 1997, LMRC and Bates Mill LLC, a group of local developers, led by Auburn native Tom Platz of Platz Associates, worked out a redevelopment mas- ter plan, while Bates continued operations in Mill 5 until 2000, when the factory went out of business. Jeffers recalls Mill 5's final operations: "ere were fewer than 100 people working, a ton of cotton dust in the air, the clank of machinery," he says. Between 1997 and 2011, with city investment to secure the building, various interests came up with ideas for Mill 5, including a convention center and casino. One idea called for combining a computer server farm with an indoor greenhouse, with heat from the servers fed to the greenhouse. e ideas were rejected for various reasons. In 2012, after significant public input in develop- ing a plan for the redevelopment of 77 acres between the city's main canal and the Androscoggin River, the Riverfront Island Master Plan recommended Mill 5's demolition in favor of a park or a smaller office building. But the debate wasn't finished. Grow L+A, a grassroots group led by local architect Gabrielle Russell, fought to save Mill 5. She now works for Platz Associates. "Half the camp said, 'It's an ugly building. Tear it down. Others said, 'It's a historic gem and should be saved,'" recalls Jeffers, who credits Russell as the lead. Grow L+A raised awareness, identified poten- tial tenants and pulled in partners — notably, Platz. Saved from the wrecking ball By 2004, Platz had purchased the rest of the com- plex from the city, demolished Mill 8 and Mill 3's annex as unsalvageable, conducted an environmen- tal cleanup throughout and redeveloped the remain- ing seven buildings, earning acclaim in the New England Real Estate Journal and from Lewiston's Historic Preservation Board. e first permanent lease, to TD Bank for 48,000 square feet in a building called Storehouse 7, sparked interest from other potential tenants, says Platz. "After that, we heard from other parties," he says. "When you see people move into a space, you become interested. e last two or three years, we've had lots of interest." So far, Platz has leased out about 450,000 square feet across the seven buildings. at includes additional space for TD Bank in Mill 3; Fishbones American Grill in Mill 6; and other tenants like Maine Community Health Options, Baxter Brewing Co., DaVinci's restau- rant, Bates Mill Dermatology, SymQuest, Androscoggin Bank, Cross Insurance and e Lofts apartments in Mill 2. Current tenants employ about 2,000 people. Another 200,000 square feet remains to be filled. ere's an abundance of 19th century character — open spaces with high ceilings, wood beams and columns, brickwork, granite sills, near-floor-to- ceiling windows. But there's also modern electrical, mechanical, communication and energy systems. Storied history When Platz signed onto Grow L+A's initiative to save Mill 5, he already viewed it as a gem. Built in C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 4 » Lincoln Jeffers, Lewiston's economic development director, has pushed for the redevelopment of Bates Mill. P H O T O / R U S S D I L L I N G H A M Rebirth of Bates Mill Lewiston's vast Bates Mill Complex is being reborn, one section at a time B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r F O C U S

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