Pillsbury A Mill!

What Is the Pillsbury A Mill?

This apartment complex was once the largest and most advanced flour mill in the world!

What Makes It Historical?

Minneapolis’ flour milling district arose in the 1870s around the 50-foot St. Anthony Falls, driven by an influx of immigrants to work the farms, railroads, and of course, mills that earned this city the nickname of “Flour Milling Capital of the World!” It was a name that stuck for fifty years!

Among these mills was that of Charles Alfred Pillsbury, who had bought into a broken down flour mill back in 1869 and learned a lot about how winter wheat made better flour than spring, plus how to better remove the middlings from the wheat for finer flour! He leased, then bought a second mill, the following year, called the “Alaska” and formed C.A. Pillsbury & Company! This would grow into one of the world’s largest cake manufacturers and a major sponsor of railroad development around Minnesota!

The coup de grace of Pillsbury mills arrived on the scene in 1881, designed to be a visually appealing factory by architect, LeRoy S. Buffington! It was compartmentalized into seven floors, all with specific purposes from sifting to grinding to storage, which gave the Pillsbury A Mill unprecedented milling abilities! Whereas 500 barrels a day was considered a large output, when the A Mill opened in 1881, it started at 7,200 a day! When challenged, it expanded to 9,551 a day in 1894, then 10,783 a day in 1896, and a final maximum capacity of 17,500 barrels a day in the early 1900s! The A Mill was built so well that, unlike some of its neighbors, it never caught fire or exploded, and even after the mill ceased in 2003, it was intact enough to convert into apartments!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Become a member of the Minnesota Historical Society!
Donate to the Minnesota Historical Society!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!