Pillsbury A Mill (National Historic Landmark): Energy Center and Tunnels

The East Bank Energy Center would re-use existing, historic tunnels and drop shafts attached to the National Historic Landmark Pillsbury A Mill building to produce hydrothermal energy for heating and cooling. The existing tunnels would contain flat plate heat exchangers and the drop shafts would contain turbines. These technologies would replace traditional heating and cooling systems to serve the A Mill and a community micro-grid. This application seeks funding for the consultant who will perform an initial site visit and recommend a scope for a larger study. They will assess what components will be needed in order to perform a comprehensive analysis of the historic and structural condition of the tunnels.

The legacy grant study by Mead & Hunt evaluates the Pillsbury A Mill historic tunnel system and plans for its preservation and re-use through a renewable energy center. The historic tunnel system is a resource that has remained relatively unknown and hidden. Through preservation and re-use the historic tunnel system will become an important historical site providing a statewide model for incorporating both renewable and sustainable technologies, and preservation within a re-use project.

The Legacy grant funded work will assist in the design, development, and implementation of the renewable energy center. The renewable energy center will act as a significant redevelopment tool for the larger historic preservation project. In addition to providing a significant environmental benefit, the energy center will entice additional interest and financing in the National Historic Landmark Pillsbury A Mill building and associated historic structures, thus supporting the larger goal .of rehabilitation and preservation of the historic complex. The renewable energy center, preserved A Mill building and tunnels, and statewide made that together they provide will be further amplified by the potential historic interpretation and public access opportunities at the site. Significant public benefit will come from educational and interpretive exhibits that will highlight both past water power technologies used for milling and current renewable technologies, highlighting both similarities and differences and linking the present with the past. These public educational benefits of the renewable energy center will create educational opportunities and a connection to the Minneapolis's milling past for future generations.