The Old Mill District - Bend, Oregon's "Powerhouse" since 1916
BEND, Ore. – The story of the Old Mill District began almost 100 years ago when two of the world’s largest sawmills opened on the banks of central Oregon’s Deschutes River. The rough and tumble logging and mill industries forever transformed a settlement that the town newspaper described as “a little trading village and a comely little town.”
Today, with the lumber business long gone, the Old Mill District has become a full-scale shopping, dining and entertainment complex that owes much of its allure to a beautifully restored river bank and perfectly preserved mill buildings.
In 1916 the Shevlin-Hixon Lumber Company built a mill on the west bank of the river and Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company built a competing “Mill A” complex on the east bank. For the next 78 years, the mills and their three soaring smokestacks dominated Bend’s skyline and its economy.
The mills pumped money and business into Bend and the city’s population jumped from 536 in 1910 to 5,414 in 1920. In 1922 Brooks-Scanlon built a bigger, “Mill B” complex upstream from Mill A. By 1930, the city’s population was 8,821.
At their peak, the companies were two of the largest pine sawmills in the world, running around the clock, employing more than 2,000 workers each and turning out more than 500 million board feet of lumber a year.
After more than 20 years of non-stop logging, however, the forests were showing dangerous signs of exhaustion. In 1937 the Bend Chamber of Commerce warned of economic disaster unless the mills started sustainable forestry. The mills ignored their critics and continued producing at full capacity. By 1950, the forests were greatly depleted. Brooks-Scanlon bought the Shevlin-Hixon mill and closed it just four months later.
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The Brooks-Scanlon Mill A closed in 1983. Mill B continued to produce small amounts of lumber until 1994 when it also closed. When the mills shut down, the site fell into ruin, a ghostly reminder of better times.
New life for the Old Mill District
In 1993, Bend developer and visionary Bill Smith began a new chapter in the Old Mill District’s history when he bought 270 acres of riverfront property, including the site of the old mills. City planners created a special riverfront mixed-use zone to accommodate Smith’s plans, which included single-family homes and townhomes as well as shops, restaurants, entertainment and offices.
Since the first retailers opened in 2000, the Old Mill District has once again become a major economic force in Bend, employing more than 2,000 people and drawing thousands of visitors to its shops, galleries, restaurants and events each year. The adjacent Les Schwab Amphitheater is Bend’s premier music venue, with a park-like setting that accommodates up to 8,000 patrons for top-name performances.
A beautiful natural setting in the heart of Bend
Over the years, Smith has worked to restore and beautify the riverbanks and the entire site. His company constructed new fish habitat with a fish ladder under the Colorado Avenue bridge, as well as an island and boulders that create calm areas in the river’s flow. An osprey nesting platform on the edge of the river and replanted native vegetation reinforce the harmony between nature and commerce. Winding footpaths and picnic areas welcome families, dogs and anyone wanting to unwind in a serene setting near the center of town.
Along with his company’s work in restoring the riverbank to its pre-sawmill beauty, Bill Smith has honored its history by turning three of the original mill buildings into a visual centerpiece for the “new” Old Mill District.
Three prominent structures built in 1923 – the Fuel Building, Powerhouse Building and Electric Shop – make up the Old Mill District’s “powerhouse complex” with its distinctive three smokestacks. Well-loved landmarks that tie the town’s past to its present, the smokestacks once again represent economic vitality.
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After a facelift was completed in 2006, the 11,000-square-foot, three-story Fuel Building became home to two of the unique retailers OMD is becoming known for. Named Number 5 on InStore Magazine’s “America’s Coolest Stores” list, Saxon’s Fine Jewelers on the ground floor is designed with vintage light fixtures, tin ceilings, wood flooring, wood beams and the original brickwork and steel trusses. Southwest of the Fuel Building, the Powerhouse Building and the Electric Shop house retailers and offices in spaces that preserve the industrial look of the 1920s.
A "little red shed" that once garaged the mill’s fire trucks also is part of the original mill site. The oldest building in the district, it now houses DeWilde's Art & Glass next door to the Central Oregon Visitors Association on SW Powerhouse Drive.
Along with the healthy growth of the Old Mill District, Bend itself has become revitalized and is known throughout the country as the most popular vacation and outdoor recreation spot in the Pacific Northwest.
Almost 300 days of sunshine each year make fishing, hiking, mountain climbing and golf year-round sports. Summers bring river rafting and mountain biking. Mt. Bachelor’s slopes offer world-class skiing in the winter. Entertainment is year-round too, with film and music festivals, food and wine events, sports competitions and outdoor markets.
New shops, restaurants, galleries and events are added each year, ensuring continued vitality and excitement as the Old Mill District prepares to enter its second century as the city’s “powerhouse.”
The Old Mill District is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.theoldmill.com. For more information: Noelle Fredland, Marketing Director, 541-312-0131, Noelle@theoldmill.com, 520 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite 626, Bend, Oregon 97702
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