Madison hotel wins state restoration prize
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
A decaying cotton mill once on Indiana Landmark’s most endangered list is now the recipient of its restoration prize.
After $22 million and a host of partners, Madison’s Eagle Cotton Mill is now a Fairfield Inn & Suites with a conference center and the winner of Indiana Landmarks’ new Renaissance Award. The honor is bestowed on projects that revitalized long-ignored and rundown historic properties.
The mill was named to the not-for-profit’s 2013 10 Most Endangered list after it sat vacant for decades. Riverton LLC, the City of Madison and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. partnered to rehabilitate the property and plan its future use.
“It takes incredible vision to look at a place like the Eagle Cotton Mill and say, ‘I can transform that,’” Indiana Landmarks President Marsh Davi said in a news release. “Our first Renaissance Award winner is an exemplar of the vision.”
The mill, which was built in 1884, later opened in 2021 as an 85-bed boutique hotel as a result of the project. The building has elements of its past, including original timber beams, high ceilings and over 200 windows. The hotel is the first Fairfield Inn housed in a historic building.
It’s the last large historic industrial building to be rehabbed on the city’s Ohio riverfront. Architect and developer Ron Bateman retired to southern Indiana four years ago when the site caught his eye to be a housing project. Through conversations with the mayor, they decided on a hotel project to match the tourism industry. It broke ground in 2019.
Project construction was ongoing through the pandemic with its ensuing supply chain issues and worker safety concerns. The project was just 1% above budget.