MPF is anticipating a full demolition of all structures at the site in the coming year. We are working on final contract details currently. We will be certain to let everyone know when the big equipment moves in and begins.
Long time Pillsbury Neighborhood Association President John Keller passed this last month. He was a key member of Team Pillsbury. We will have the flags out for his funeral procession on March 6th at 10:30am. Visitation is from 4-7:00pm on March 5th.
Frank Bowen has been our Team Pillsbury site photographer and photographic coordinator for nearly three years now. He has taken thousands of site photographs and coordinated photographic tours at the site. His volunteer efforts have been extraordinary. Now, he has developed two Facebook pages for public viewing/uploading of site photography. One for the art aspects and one for the plant itself. The site is visually spectacular, and we believe that this is a great way for everyone to view the site safely.
Today marks the 5th anniversary of the Moving Pillsbury Forward working group presentation to City Counsel where we presented our initial 5-year plan for cleanup, demolition, and renewal at the site. Well…what a long way we have come! And we can see the finish line just ahead of us. Hollywood could not have scripted a better story about how a community can come together and tackle a massive challenge. And…it is all documented on our webpage.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project!
MPF volunteers have experienced dozens of unauthorized people at the site this past month. At least one arrest has occurred. Others have been escorted off the property. Most run away or hide when approached. We work regularly, as we have done for almost three years now, with Springfield Police and social service agencies to deal with the persistence of trespass at the site. Unfortunately, the massive structures within the fence line at the 18-site are just too attractive for certain groups and individuals. And, like so many other vacant industrial sites, keeping these folks out is nearly impossible. Holes are cut in the perimeter fence every week.
We estimate that hundreds of unauthorized people (trespassers) come to the site each year. It has been a community problem dating back to the closure of the plant in 2001. What we have learned is that there are six general groups of unauthorized people that visit the site regularly: local explorers and thrill seekers, traveling industrial site explorers, graffiti artists, the unhoused, street drug-users, and metal scrapers. Of these six groups, the metal scrapers are the most problematic. They bring tools to cut the fence and are on-site with the full intent of committing crimes (criminal damage to property, burglary, etc.). And suffice to say, they do not play well with others.
All unauthorized people at the site are placing themselves in harm’s way. The challenge of dealing with these folks at the site has involved strategic deterrence measures, close working relationships with Neighborhood Police Officers (NPOs), and neighborhood watch. Volunteers regularly sweep through buildings to flush out trespassers and maintain a reasonable level of site safety.
Today we are taking time to thank our dedicated site safety volunteers and law enforcement officers. The job is tough. The interactions with trespassers are often tough. Calling for police assistance is never fun. Searching through the large and deteriorated building is always dangerous. But we know it is the right thing to do for our neighbors and community at-large.
And yes…we also want to thank everyone who has supported this important community project. When the buildings come down later this year, we will all get to experience improvement in community health, public safety, social and environmental justice, and economic development.
~ Team Pillsbury
MPF volunteers have experienced dozens of unauthorized people at the site this past month. Like so many other vacant industrial sites, keeping these folks out is nearly impossible. Holes are cut in the perimeter fence every week.The metal scrapers are the most problematic. They bring tools to cut the fence and are on-site with the full intent of committing crimes and they do not play well with others.We thank our site safety volunteers and law enforcement officers. Interactions with trespassers are often tough, and calling for police assistance is never fun. Searching through the large and deteriorated building is always dangerous. But we know it is the right thing to do for our neighbors and community at-large.
Pillsbury Neighborhood cleanup with SIU-Med School. John is on the left (foreground) dressed in black. One of the many cleanups he helped coordinate for over 20 years.
Friends,
John Keller, longtime Pillsbury Neighborhood Association President and advocate for the Pillsbury Neighborhood that he called home for decades, passed this week. John was many things in life (student at Bunn Elementary School, husband, father, business owner) but first and foremost in the later years he was a person that cared deeply about his neighbors and his beloved Pillsbury Neighborhood.
All you need to do is Google Springfield Pillsbury/John Keller and you will quickly see that he was on the record in the media for over 20 years working to find long-term solutions for how best to deal with the former Pillsbury Mills site that closed permanently in 2001. He carried the voices of the neighborhood to city hall and beyond. There were many years of slow going and backsliding, but he never gave up. And he embraced the Moving Forward Working group as we formed to see what could be done to improve the dismal situation after the infamous dog incident in October of 2019.
Moving Pillsbury Forward joined John and his neighbors in late 2019. Together we studied the issue carefully and designed a plan. A plan that would take several years to play out. A plan that has nearly advanced to the favorable outcome we have all been driving towards. A plan that has gathered over $9.0M in commitments and is looking ahead to large-scale demolition in the coming months.
Today, we pray that John’s spirit remains with us as we continue forward and see the Pillsbury Project through to a successful conclusion: Cleanup, Demolition, and Renewal. We know that our success is due in part to his unwavering efforts over many years and we admire his grit and tenacity.
Illinois Symphony Beyond the Stage Concert in the C-Mill on September 14, 2024, Photo credit Benjamin Halpern.
Friends,
2024 marked another year of great accomplishments for Moving Pillsbury Forward and the Pillsbury Project. Functionally, we secured an additional $4M in cleanup and demolition funding, we recycled over 600 tons of materials from the site, and we completed all the necessary government reviews so that large-scale demolition can take place in 2025. In addition, we continued to connect with the community in a variety of ways: community gardening, public presentations, employee stories collection, historic site tours, street art and art exhibits, and one incredibly unique Illinois Symphony concert.
Micro-Pantry partnership averaged 100lbs of food per week (all year)
MPF volunteers recycled over 100 tons of metal throughout the year (all year)
Over 100 archival quality photos were taken to document the site (all year)
Over 100 street art paintings were completed by more than 30 artists (all year)
300 lbs. of vegetables were harvested from the community garden(summer)
Partnered with APL to spay/neuter on site feral cats (February)
$1M in Community Development Funding awarded from Rep. Budzinski (March)
200 people attended the Pillsburied Exhibit opening (March)
600 people attended Spring Tours (April)
500 tons of brick were recycled at the site (April)
$2.6M in cleanup grant funding awarded from USEPA (May)
1300 employee names were artfully placed on the “Roll Call” wall (May)
30% of collected artifacts & documents were recovered from Adams St. fire (June)
All EPA site review elements were completed (July)
Over 200 people attended the SAA opening for the Pillsbury Art Exhibit (September)
All federal HUD review elements were completed (September)
300 people attend the Illinois symphony concert in the C-Mill (September)
Requests for proposals went out to contractors for demolition (November)
The Pillsbury Project is much more than working through the difficult mechanics of demolishing buildings and moving toward redevelopment. The Pillsbury Project is about people coming together, taking control of a tough situation, and improving the quality of life in Springfield.
Thank you! We appreciate everyone being a part of advancing the Pillsbury Project.
View inside the 9th floor of C-Mill this past Spring. Original 1937 mechanicals are still there. This photo is a part of the preservation photography work we did this past year at the site.
Friends,
As a part of the overall Pillsbury Project we have had the pleasure of hearing many stories about the workers at Pillsbury. To date, Archie Comstock is the earliest known retiree from the Springfield Pillsbury plant. His granddaughter recently shared his story with us. And we are glad she did!
Archie Comstock was born on September 7, 1884 in Minneapolis, MN. His father, Frank Comstock, worked for Pillsbury Mills in Minneapolis. When Archie was a young man he joined his father in working for Pillsbury Mills and the two of them traveled around to different cities to help set up new mills. As experienced millers, Frank and Archie were a great asset as Pillsbury Mills expanded in the early twentieth century.
In September of 1937, Archie Comstock came to the Springfield plant. He had been given the option to transfer to Springfield IL or Buffalo NY. He chose Springfield because he felt the winters would be less harsh. In Springfield, the new C-Mill had just been built as a major expansion that doubled flour milling capacity at the plant. Archie had the experience needed to set up and run the new mill.
Archie,his wife Isabel, and their young daughter Avalon, became longtime residents in the Pillsbury Neighborhood. They purchased a house at 1023 N 14th Street, just a block from the plant. Many workers at the plant lived in the neighborhood and walked to work. At age 65, Archie retired from the Springfield Pillsbury plant in 1949.
Archie was an avid reader and traveler in his retirement years. He kept active and even painted the exterior of his house on 14th Street at age 88. After a long retirement, Archie passed away in 1983 at the age of 98. His daughter Avalon and her 4 children still lived at the house on 14th Street. Avalon remained in the house until 1992.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project. And, special thanks today to the Comstock family descendants for gathering and sharing their rich story with us.
Moving Pillsbury Forwards has a few project advances to report on as we move into this Holiday Season.
· MPF put out requests for proposals for both remediation and demolition of all remaining structures at the site in mid-November. We had 60 contractors come to our mandatory on-site visit day on December 4. This was a great turnout. The bid process will continue into January. More news will follow as contractors are selected to do the work throughout 2025.
· MPF coordinated another Pillsbury Neighborhood cleanup in early November. We collected a pile of used tires, televisions, over 30 pieces of furniture (mostly sofas and mattresses) and filled a 30-yard dumpster with general household garbage. Yes, fly-dumping is still a serious issue in the neighborhood. Public Works has been great to work with. We are optimistic about seeing lasting improvements going forward.
· MPF brought together former employees and family members for group photos on November 22. Archival photos were taken in front of the “Roll Call” wall where local artist Jen Santarelli placed over 1300 names of former Pillsbury employees gathered these last few years of the Pillsbury Project. The photos and artwork are powerful statements about the impact of Pillsbury on our community over the decades. The photos will be a part of the publicly available Pillsbury archive at the Lincoln Library in the Sangamon Valley Collection.
· Resident artist Alex Smith wrapped up several months at Pillsbury in late November. He produced well over 100 art pieces while on-site. Many of the portable pieces went with him to his homebase in Minneapolis. Galleries in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles are anticipated to exhibit and sell some of his works. Many of the pieces were on exhibit at the Springfield Art Association throughout September. The wall art that remains at Pillsbury has been captured in high quality photographs and will be the subject of future public programs. Stay tuned.
· Pillsbury artifacts from the site remain in storage. MPF is hopeful of finding a permanent home for the collection. About 30% of the artifacts survived the downtown fire in June. The collection is an important element of work life and the industrial history of Springfield. MPF will continue to work with community leaders in finding the best long-term home for these pieces of our recent past.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project!
While we are still looking for a permanent home for Pillsbury artifacts, a small selection of them has been incorporated into a new pop up art exhibit downtown. Details of the exhibit, Absence and Presence, are attached. Over this past year we established a number of collaborative relationships with artists and the Adams Family downtown. We are excited that our artifacts can continue to be utilized in a new exhibit.
The historic downtown location of this exhibit is the abandoned Cliff Hotel in a portion of the Kidzeum building. The space is remarkably preserved and will be on full display. The project is designed by Robert Mazrim, who has recently curated and produced artwork for a number of events at the abandoned Pillsbury factory, as well as the “Pillsburied” exhibit at 413 Adams Street downtown.
Please, consider attending on December 4th & 6th from 5:30 to 8:30pm.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
Moving Pillsbury Forward is moving ahead with requests for proposals on both remediation and demolition of site structures now that all of our compliance reviews have been completed. It has been a long haul getting to this point. We appreciate everyone supporting and hanging in there with us. We look forward to 2025 being the year where existing environmental site hazards are alleviated and demolition of large structures brings a sense of renewal to the area. This is the moving forward we have all been aiming at for over 5 years now! Here is the link for any company interest in completing a proposal:
Now, we are asking former Pillsbury employees to join us for one last group photo in front of the employee names wall on Friday, November 22 at 1:00pm. The Pillsbury employee names wall was created this past Spring by local artist Jen Santarelli. She is the granddaughter of longtime Pillsbury worker Walter Santarelli who began his career in 1941. We have over 1300 names on the wall formally titled “Roll Call”. The community response to this installation these past several months has been wonderful.
The plan is to have our preservation photographer, Ben Halpern, take a high-resolution group photo for the official archival record. The group photo (and all other preservation photos) will soon be archived and publicly available at the Lincoln Library Sangamon Valley Collection. This image, to be taken on-site, with the names and the employees is sure to be a powerful statement about what our Springfield PIllsbury plant meant to us as a community.
Employees and families are welcome to come to the Dock #107 entrance (corner of 16th St. and Phillips Ave.) beginning at noon on Friday, November 22. We are glad to have individuals and families take personal photos with the wall this one last time. Our scheduled rain date (if the weather will not allow for a good photo) is Friday December 6 at 1:00. Note: The wall area is accessible by ramp for those with mobility issues. We will have volunteers present at Dock #107 to arrange access.
A limited number of engraved Pillsbury bricks will be available during the photo event on Nov. 22
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
Moving Pillsbury Forward had a 1972 issue of The Springfield Communicator donated recently. This is the employee newsletter that came out periodically at the Springfield Pillsbury Plant. This issue is filled with names of employees that either retired or had big anniversaries (25,30,35, and 40 year) in 1972. There are more than 150 employees listed.
Special thanks to the family of William “Willie” Kunz for providing this issue for us to have and share. Willie came to Pillsbury in 1947 after his service in WWII and celebrated his 25th anniversary in 1972. He eventually retired after more than 30 years of service at Pillsbury. We are sure that many of the folks we talked to this past year or so will remember him.
One of the most impressive things we have learned while interacting with former Springfield Pillsbury employees and their families is that it was a great place to work because of the people. Many of the employees played on the softball team, in the bowling league, golf league, or hunted and fished together on their days off work. It was like a big extended family. We love that this was a hallmark of our Springfield Pillsbury for several decades.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
Moving Pillsbury Forward hosted a series called “Tuesdays at the Dock” last year in August and September. We invited former Pillsbury employees and families to come and share their stories with us. The response was great. We learned a lot about the site and what made it such a great place to work. We recorded several interesting interviews during the series.
On Tuesday, October 15 at 5:30pm the Sangamon County Historical Society has invited us to talk about what was learned and why it was important for our overall project. The presentation will take place at the Springfield Art Association at 700 N. 4th St. This is free and open to the public.
Springfield has a rich history of manufacturing. The Pillsbury Plant is perhaps the last, and certainly the largest, remaining example of Springfield’s mid-twentieth century manufacturing at its best. And it will soon be physically gone. We are grateful for this opportunity presented by the Sangamon County Historical Society. We hope you can attend.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
