Old Mill Plaza

The Old Mill Plaza was built in 1879 by Monarch Steam Mills. It was purchased in 1886 by Bernhard Warkentin, who needed the mill to grind the resilient Turkey Red hard winter wheat. In 1973, however, the once productive mill was an abandoned, fire razed building scheduled to be demolished. Seventy-five percent of the beautiful Mansard roof had been destroyed before protests of concerned citizens temporarily halted the project. At midnight, the evening before demolition was to resume, Lloyd Smith, a local manufacturer and inventor, and his wife Jacqueline decided to buy the building and save it from destruction. After the purchase, Smith began revitalizing the old mill. The discovery of the original blueprints used to construct the mill enabled Smith to rebuild the Mansard roof exactly like the original. Today, the Old Mill Plaza is the location of many local businesses and the Old Mill Restaurant and Bar.

State and National Historic Landmark