Praray Mill Alternative
The historically rare Praray designed Georgia Western Cotton Mill seemingly has no future near downtown Douglasville as the mill deteriorates into a state of disrepair. Long ago the mill was a prosperous icon becoming a community of its own, employing local residents in the busy world of textiles. Throughout time the mill would change names and owners numerous times, its red brick exterior covered in yellow paint, the three-story front tower removed, windows boarded up.
Then in 2001 a small hope of life was breathed into the mill as it was considered to become a retail center of a mastered overhaul of downtown Douglasville, but to no avail that too would be exhaled partly to location, feasibility and cost. However prosperity is on the rise as the future will bring Highway 92 next door to the mill.
What if, by chance, the mill could return to serve as an alternate motive that could not only support both the City of Douglasville and Douglas County, but the whole West Georgia region?
The possibility is based on a personal idea of mine that I have not run across in local documentation. Merely it is a collaboration of various public needs intertwined with technological advancements that would be the building block of a community gateway – The Gateway to West Georgia.
What do I mean by that? Imagine a facility that can be multifunctional, elaborate and cutting-edge incorporating a public library, park and museum in one. Obviously this idea is grand by design and most likely exuberant in price, but the idea is one that I’ve been pondering about and would like to share.
When Highway 92 is relocated it will run beneath Highway 78 next door to the old Georgia Western Cotton Mill forcing the mill to be noticed more often then not by drivers. This corridor already serves as a connection point the rest of West Georgia itself, connecting Dallas, Hiram, Villa Rica, Bremen and Carrollton. Since the mill is already considered an “eye-sore” to the City of Douglasville, maybe it should become something more.
The mill is a two-story structure that can fit two Douglas and two Lithia Springs Libraries combined with space to spare (approximately 108,000 sq. ft.), giving ample room for just about anything. In my mind I envision a return of the original mill’s historical look with tall glass windows to pour in natural sunlight, a three level front tower with balconies where people could congregate and look over the hilly landscape.
Inside a library that can expand without restrictions, wifi internet access, computer labs, and a research center that has its own section. Local history from not only Douglas County, but the whole West Georgia Region could be available through accessible terminals and books in one location instead of scattered throughout the region. Walls could be decorated with local artwork and display cases containing artifacts could help tell the stories that made West Georgia what it is today.
A conference center could be made available to seat any number of residents attending public meetings, hearings or a place where citizens could hold their own meetings. Since the Downtown Douglasville Conference Center can be tight as times during important gatherings, this could act as an alternative.
The second floor could be a museum of West Georgia bringing in all kinds of resources from each county, acting as a research center where people could do their own studying at independent terminals to look up family ancestry and digitally copied photographs. Newspaper articles dating back to the early settlers could be easily managed, tagged with keywords and interfaced with any standard web browser.
Here could be the place where various public commissions could come together, like Historical and Cemetery Preservation, which could cross-reference information to create a more definitive history. Workshops could be conducted to educate the public about local history, especially for the various school systems that could teach their students about where they live, learn about their ancestors and the Native American Indians that were so prominent here.
Outside the detention pond could become a water feature, beside it a gazebo to take a rest and enjoy the ducks and geese piddling along. In effect the area could become a joining County-City park, not for sport but rather a nature setting that would be part of the museum as well. The old Douglasville train depot could finally return becoming its own mini-museum with an old locomotive resting on some tracks at the station, ready for passengers to head for Atlanta.
Something like this is likely too intricate for Douglas County to comprehend or have available since the idea is well beyond the out-of-the-box persona. In reality the situation will possibly force the mill to be torn down and rebuilt into a type of retail commercial conglomerate that would attract drivers as they are passing by without regard to its national significance.
I would like to hear some feedback on this idea to see if anyone likes or dislikes the idea. Feel free to comment below.
Thats an excellent idea. I really think that you should write up something and maybe present it to the city/county/ARC or whoever will listen. Call that lady that you talked to about the Hunter Park Memorial, maybe she can help you work some details out. Let me know if i can help.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:47 amI agree, this is an excellent idea. It goes beyond a typical park or library in that it doesn’t just add to the community it fosters community by celebrating the past and becoming a venue to envision the future. This is something everyone (city, county) could rally around because it is good for the entire area.
February 28th, 2007 at 11:11 amIf we want Douglas County to be a great place to live - it is going to take big ideas - not complex ideas but inclusive ideas - not ideas that benefit the few but ideas that will benefit many - and future generations.
I am sure that sometimes you feel like you are “shouting at the rain” but don’t stop because you think no one is listening. Keeping shouting because it is the right thing to do.
This is a great idea! I love the idea of the depot returning and an old locomotive (and maybe an old caboose as well?) sitting on the tracks. And the Douglas County museum (the one they have in the old courthouse) could expand–and they could include a tribute to Bill Arp, aka Charles H. Smith.
A genealogy library could be of great benefit to the county, especially for those families who have lived here for at least a couple hundred years like my grandmother’s mother and grandmother did. Sometimes you don’t have any relatives who can fill in the blanks–in my case, on my mother’s side, there is no one who can fill in the genealogy for her father’s side past his parents because there aren’t any relatives alive to fill in the blanks. A genealogy library would help genealogists (or amateurs) to help fill in those missing blanks.
March 1st, 2007 at 6:54 pmThanks for the positive feedback. When I first came up with the idea I thought I was crazy, but then I realized it has a lot of potential. Dougasville would not be what it is today if it was not for the railroad (this also being true for other whistle stops like Villa Rica, Winston, White City, and Lithia Springs) and a return of some of that history would be nice. There is a caboose and mini-train for kids at Hunter Memorial Park that serves as a reminder.
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:35 amWow. Once in a blue moon someone looks at land or a building and asks, “What is right for this property at this place in our community?” - and then they make it happen. Too often they have only a short-term self interest and it goes to the highest bidder who, in turn, thinks they will be able to make a buck off of it. How cool would it be if this became a reality?
The idea seems so fitting that even though its immediate purpose is one of providing a public amenity - which in and of itself would be great - I can totally see how it would ultimately enrich the area financially on top of all the other ways it would benefit the community. Kind of like the Silver Comet Trail.
There was this Tech student a few years back who, for his thesis, came up with a grandiose plan to rehabilitate a chunk of ugly, contaminated land to serve myriad purposes. It was way more of a long shot than this, but he did his homework, wound up getting the right people on board, and Atlantic Station went from senior project to community reality. It hasn’t been without its detractors, but few would argue that it has truly revitalized a blighted area.
For Douglasville, the question is - how do you get the attention of the kinds of people and money that could help make something like this happen?
March 10th, 2007 at 9:36 amTMW,
Thanks for the feedback. The more I ponder about this idea of mine, the more I’m wanting to pursue it in some fashion. But the problem is finding the right people who believe in the idea, has the passion to pursue it and the funding to make it happen.
Can the City of Douglasville and Douglas County puts their differences aside and build something that will be prominent and beneficial to all residents in the region? I do not see this at the moment, but all it takes is one person and one idea.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:45 pmGoogled “Praray Mill Broad Street Douglasville” and got lots of results, among them this:
“FOR SALE Gold Listing
$1,400,000 * Land * Douglasville, Georgia * Full Listing
Exciting development opportunity of entire approximately 7-acre city block with approximately 108,000 sq ft historic mill and approximately 13,400 sq ft additional buildings. The level 7-acre site with four streets of frontage and existing small pond feature will work well for retail, residential and mixed uses. Current C-G and R-6 zoning designations are perfect to accommodate residential redevelopment or new retail uses. Conceptual plans are available, detailing this fantastic opportunity. This area is experiencing tremendous growth and the downtown revitalization projects are in full swing. The former Georgia Western Cotton Mill, with it’s patented Praray window bays and high ceilings is prime for loft or mixed use development. Considering just the land, it’s $5.25 per sq ft, the timing, location, and the price is right! Contact Bull Realty 404.876.1640 info@bullrealty.com”
URL: http://www.cimls.com/sale-listing/11381/?ref=state_review
Not that I have a million four, but that is chump change in the commercial real estate world and a steal for that property.
March 11th, 2007 at 8:52 am