Collier Construction and The Pop-Up Project have announced plans to reactivate and reanimate the historic Standard Coosa Thatcher Mill, the vacant, 300,000 square foot centerpiece of Collier’s landmark Mill Town development.
Beginning in September, The Pop-Up Project will utilize the Mill, located at 1800 South Watkins Street in the Oak Grove neighborhood, for a series of performances that will take over every room, corner, closet, and floor of the former textile factory. Titled “If These Walls Could Talk…” the performance series will tell the story of the neighborhood’s history, the company’s relationship with its workers, and the shifting economic realities of the Chattanooga region.
To inform the creation of these pieces, The Pop-Up Project is asking Chattanoogans for their stories – specifically those who have a connection to the neighborhood, the Mill, or the now-defunct Standard Coosa Thatcher company.
“At its peak, Standard Coosa Thatcher was one of the largest and most well-regarded employers in our community,” says Ethan Collier, CEO of Collier Construction, which is sponsoring the series. “Thousands of people worked here and thousands more depended on the textile products that were produced here. While the Mill has been closed for some time, we know those memories still exist. We want to hear them.”
While structurally sound, the buildings comprising the mill – 350,000 total square feet – have been open to the elements and repeatedly vandalized since the Standard Coosa Thatcher company vacated them in the early 2000s. According to ChattanoogaHistory.com, “The first mill buildings were erected in 1916. At that time, Standard, Coosa and Thatcher were three separate mills located directly beside each other. Coosa and Thatcher Spinning plants processed the incoming raw cotton and eventually spun the cotton to a finished yarn.”
“The yarn that was spun here bound together generations of families,” says Jules Downum, co-founder of The Pop-Up Project. “Those threads can connect the past to the present and the future, and that’s what our performances will be all about.”
Individuals with stories, photographs, or other memorabilia related to the Standard Coosa Thatcher mill are invited to contact The Pop-Up Project at 423-402-0205 or MillTownStoriesCHA@gmail.com. While stories will be considered for inclusion in The Pop-Up Project’s performances, requests for anonymity will be honored.
Collier is considering several possible redevelopment scenarios for the Mill itself while work on the larger mixed-use Mill Town development continues. Previous efforts to redevelop the historic mill, including a long-planned effort to create affordable rental housing for artists, failed due to insufficient financing. Collier acquired the Mill and approximately 40 acres of surrounding property in 2019.
“It’s a big, beautiful, mysterious building,” says Collier. “It’s been empty for decades, but is still full of memories. We’re excited to partner with The Pop-Up Project this year to unlock them.”