Moving Pillsbury Forward is celebrating Earthday with a huge effort to have our bricks from Warehouses #4 & #5 recycled for use in new buildings. Over the course of the next two weeks over 200 tons of brick from the Pillsbury Plant will be sorted, stacked on pallets, and hauled to new construction sites where the bricks will be re-used. We are working with a midwest brick recycler that brought in a crew and all the equipment to get the job done at no cost to us.
The overall project is aimed at recycling over 95% of the bulk materials (concrete, wood, brick, and metal) from the structures as they come down. Last year we recycled over 40 tons of wood timbers and 100 tons of metal from the site. It is great to see the forward progress with a project design that is earth friendly.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project!
The attendance and response to our last round of ground tours at the site was tremendous. The four tours over the two Saturdays resulted in 600 people getting to see the buildings up close and hear about the overall Pillsbury Project as-well-as the rich history of the Springfield Pillsbury plant. Several former employees and families added to the tours and gave those in attendance a great first-person perspective.
The “Roll Call” employee names wall was also a special addition for those in attendance at the tours. Local artist, Jen Santarelli (granddaughter of longtime Pillsbury employee Walter Santarelli), added more names to the wall these past two weeks. The total is now approaching 1300. We are excited to see this piece continue to grow. Jen is glad to add names as necessary. She can be reached at:
Jan Santarelli “Roll Call” memorial wall for Pillsbury workers.
The “Roll Call” employee names wall was also a special addition for those in attendance at the tours. Local artist, Jen Santarelli (granddaughter of longtime Pillsbury employee Walter Santarelli), added more names to the wall these past two weeks. The total is now approaching 1300. We are excited to see this piece continue to grow. Jen is glad to add names as necessary. She can be reached at:
Finally, we sold out of engraved bricks during the last tour. More bricks have been sent to the engraver for pre-orders. Please be patient with us as we work to get everyone who would like one an engraved brick. Just email us if you would like added to the list. Engraved bricks are $20. As a note: we have had families purchase and deliver their engraved bricks to far away places including Alabama, New York, and California.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project,
PS Due to the number of requests, we are working to schedule a time near Memorial Day for additional viewing and photos of the “Roll Call” wall. Stay tuned.
Jan Santarelli "Roll Call" memorial wall for Pillsbury workers.
Friends,
Jen Santarelli, local artist and granddaughter of longtime Pillsbury employee Walter Santarelli, has utilized our compiled list of nearly 1200 employee names to create a wonderful memorial to the PIllsbury workers. The memorial wall on the east side of the Bakery Mix Building will be accessible for viewing and photo opportunities during our tours. Jen will be present and available on Saturday during open tour hours (11am to 3pm). She will have our existing list for families to view and make additions as needed. We want as many employees represented as possible. Jen has named the memorial piece “Roll Call”. Wow! What a powerful and inspiring addition to the overall Pillsbury Project.
Free public tours are this Saturday, April 6th at Noon and 2pm. Tours begin in our south dock entrance (at the corner of 16th St. & Phillips Ave.). Tours last about one hour with several stops within and around several buildings. The tours are on a generally level concrete surface but sturdy shoes or boots are still recommended. Last Fall our tour guests ranged in age from 2 to 90 years old…everyone is welcome to attend! No reservations are necessary. There is ample parking in our south lot and along 15th St.
The guided tours have a focus on the Historic Pillsbury Era (1929-1991) at the site. Many former Pillsbury employees have been interviewed this past year. They have generously shared their knowledge of the site so that it could be shared with tour guests during the tours.
Engraved “Pillsbury” bricks will be available ($20). Donations for tours are encouraged but not required. And, micro-pantry food donations will be accepted. Our Pillsbury Neighborhood micro-pantry has been a great success. Download a recommended donation list…
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
Pillsburied promises to be an immersive experience like no other…Mark your calendar…Bring your friends.
Thursday (3/28) 6-9pm & Friday (3/29) 6-9pm.413 E Adams St – Downtown Springfield
“Pillsburied” is a new pop-up art exhibit and installation that serves as a sequel to the popular “Visitors” event held at the abandoned Pillsbury factory last November. This time, over 2 tons of artifacts, art, and curiosities have been installed in a long-unused space in downtown Springfield. The result is an immersive experience that reflects the history, decay, and unique art-making activities found at the Pillsbury site over the last year. Guests will be able to experience a new version of the energy and mystery that has been created by several artists working at the factory, and will also have the opportunity to purchase art made at, from, and about the Pillsbury site. Like the “Visitors” event, “Pillsburied” represents a unique art project in the Springfield community.
The Pillsburied exhibit is sponsored in part by Moving Pillsbury Forward and Highlander Renewables and was curated by Robert Mazrim.
The exhibit is located on an upper floor of 413 E. Adams Street in downtown Springfield. It will be free and open to the public for two nighttime gatherings on March 28 and 29 from 6pm to 9pm. Admission is free, but donations to support the artists are encouraged.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
Moving Pillsbury Forward is excited to announce another $1,00,000 addition to our overall project funding.
Congresswoman Budzinski did a great job in securing our Community Project Funding request in the recently passed federal budget. The Pillsbury Project now has just over $7,000,000 in combined project funding commitments.
THANK YOU Congresswoman Budzinski for bringing this important community project closer to completion!
Moving Pillsbury Forward will host Spring tours on Saturday April 6th at noon and 2pm and again on Saturday April 13th at noon and 2pm.
These are anticipated to be the last two days of guided historic tours on site. As in the past, the tours are FREE and Open to the Public. Tours begin in our south dock entrance (at the corner of 16th St. & Phillips Ave.) Tours last about one hour with several stops and photo opportunities within and around several buildings. The tours are on a generally level concrete surface but sturdy shoes or boots are still recommended. Last Fall our tour guests ranged in age from 2 to 90 years old…everyone is welcome to attend! No reservations are necessary. There is ample parking in our south lot and along 15th St.
The guided tours have a focus on the historic Pillsbury Era at the site. Many former Pillsbury employees have been interviewed this past year. They have generously shared their knowledge of the site so that it could be shared with tour guests during the tours. Yes…tour guests will also see a good bit of quality street art/graffiti. Our resident artists have been busy!
Engraved “Pillsbury” bricks will be available ($20). Cash donations for tours are encouraged but not required. And, micro-pantry food donations will be accepted both tour days. Our Pillsbury Neighborhood micro-pantry has been a great success.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
Pillsbury plant: AB Mill basement - Millwright workbenches. Photo credit Frank Bowen
Friends,
Moving Pillsbury Forward has been in the news and making progress this month. Last week we secured contracts for $1.5M with the City of Springfield. Dean Olsen with the Illinois Times wrote a great article explaining our financial progress on the overall Pillsbury Project.
We also took advantage of great weather last week to advance our preservation photography project. It was dry in the AB-Mill basement so we took a few pictures of the Millwright workbenches. This is the area of the plant where the Millwrights kept their tools and planned for upgrades and repairs throughout the entire facility. Mid-Twentieth century manufacturing at our Springfield Pillsbury plant included in-house design, maintenance, repairs, and metal fabrication that was truly impressive.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
~ Team Pillsbury
Pillsbury plant: AB Mill basement filming. Photo credit Frank BowenPillsbury plant: AB Mill basement. Photo credit Frank Bowen
The existing water tower at the former Springfield Pillsbury plant sits at a height of 210 feet atop the AB-Mill just as it has since 1929 when the building was constructed. A second water tower was added at the plant atop the C-Mill sometime between 1955 and 1965. The height was about 40 feet shorter, but it matched the look of the original almost perfectly. Many people in Springfield remember the days when both water towers stood at the plant as beacons of our manufacturing strength.
Closeup of AB-Mill water tower. Photo taken in October 2023.Pillsbury circa-1940 taken from the corner of 15th St. & Phillips Ave. The AB-Mill water tower is shown. Photo courtesy of an employee’s family.Photo of Grocery Mix Building (foreground) and AB-Mill with AB-Mill water tower. Photo by Ben Halpern (2022)
Click on an image above to see full size.
The water towers served two primary purposes. On-site storage of water at elevation created the necessary head pressure in the water lines below for both manufacturing processes and for fire sprinkler systems in the buildings. The on-site storage also allowed for continuous workflow if water service was disrupted due to water main breaks or short outages at the city water plant.
As the Springfield Pillsbury plant rapidly expanded in size during the late 1940’s and into the early 1960’s, a second water tower became necessary. Expansions during the late 50’s and early 60’s included the massive Warehouse #9 (now removed), the Turbo and Bulk Storage Buildings (attached to the South side of the AB-Mill) and the 8180 Building (now removed from the west side of the C-Mill).
Pillsbury water tower top ball from C Mill.
When the former Pillsbury/Cargill plant was sold for scrap in 2008, the water tower atop the C-Mill was cut into pieces and recycled for the value of its metal. This happened sometime between 2008 and 2013. Recently, however, the discovery of the top ball from the water tower was found on a 4th floor roof at the plant. It had apparently been cut off during the scrap operation and dropped onto the roof. There it laid for over 10 years. Now, it is part of the MPF collection.
MPF is often asked: Can we save the remaining AB-Mill Water Tower? The reasonable answer, unfortunately, is no. MPF has consulted multiple demolition professionals, and it simply is too large to bring down in one piece. Dismantling, lowering down, relocating, and reassembling the water tower would be a costly addition to an already dauntingly large project of demolition and renewal at the 18-acre site.
So…Where does this leave us? MPF is still working on the best alternative to saving the AB-Mill Water Tower. At a minimum, we have it well documented in photographs. And perhaps we can save the top ball and display it with its matching younger sibling. We are currently open to ideas. Please, give us your best constructive considerations on reasonable alternatives.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
Photo of Grocery Mix Building (foreground) and AB-Mill with AB-Mill water tower. Photo by Ben Halpern (2022)
Friends,
Micro Pantry Update: We had several great donations this week…Thank you! The pantry is accessible 24/7 for smaller donations directly into the pantry. Our south dock location has shelving for larger donations that can be distributed as the pantry runs low. We are working toward better stocking consistency for our neighbors in need. Please, contact us for drop off arrangements of larger donations. Thanks.
Preservation Photography Project: We have had inquiries about making select prints available for purchase. We are in the process of working this through with our primary photographer. We will have more on this topic in the coming weeks.
Recent Employee Interview & Donation: We did another interview with a long-time employee last week. He donated several items. One item of prime interest is a 9-page, September 1986, Union Employee List. Great to have this added to our collection. We are still looking for 1950’s & 60’s lists to fill in gaps…if they are out there…we would love to have copies. Thanks.
Illinois AgriNews Article Jan. 10: Yes…our AP article written by John O’Connor was picked up and published by Illinois AgriNews. The Springfield Pillsbury plant had a big impact on Central Illinois agriculture for many years. Great job John!
Another very interesting video link: Volunteers doing a bit of research found a 10-minute YouTube video from 2017. This WAND TV raw video footage was taken during a press day (Aug. 4, 2017) while the US EPA bulk cleanup was taking place. The narrated video tour was done in the basement of the Grocery Mix Building. It is a great representation of just how extensive the cleanup activities were in 2017.
East wall of 1929 built Warehouse #4 as seen Dec.2, 2022, just a month prior to its demolition due to instability. For those who took the historic tours this past year, you were able to stand in the footprint of this structure...very near the center of the plant...where even today the height and mass of the surrounding structures leaves many of us awe-struck. Photo taken by Ben Halpern.
Friends,
Moving PIllsbury Forward engaged in a preservation photography project shortly after we were able to take possession of the former Pillsbury site in March of 2022. After we spent the bulk of 2022 clearing the site grounds of unwanted vegetation and debris, we began taking a series of high-resolution exterior photos. With good sightlines open for the first time in years, this was the best opportunity we would have to capture the site and structures in their fullest before they are gone.
The complete series of photos will eventually be archived and made available within an accessible public institution. They are of archival quality and are being prepared at this time with appropriate descriptive captions. Thanks is due here to many community members, primarily former employees, for helping us understand and accurately describe what we were seeing. With your help, we are building a photo archive that honors the history of the plant and Springfield manufacturing in general. It is yet another aspect of the Pillsbury Project that is community centered and focused on getting the job done as right as we reasonably can.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
~ Team Pillsbury
Ben Halpern prepares to take Pillsbury preservation photo of east wall of 1929 built Warehouse #4 as seen Dec.2, 2022, just a month prior to its demolition due to instability.
