A hulking brick relic of Hamilton's industrial past is finally on track to become housing. Developer Bloomfield/Schon is leading an approximately $29 million redevelopment of the former Shuler & Benninghofen Woolen Mill at Pleasant and Williams avenues, transforming the century-old complex into 127 apartments and roughly 5,000 square feet of commercial space in the city's Lindenwald neighborhood.
The project, first reported by Local 12, has been years in the making. The City of Hamilton has worked with Bloomfield/Schon on the site since 2019, and the redevelopment is now expected to move toward construction, though a confirmed start date has not been established.
Money to make it happen has come from several directions. The project received a $3.5 million Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, and the Butler County Finance Authority is participating through a capital lease arrangement under which eligible building materials will be exempt from a portion of sales taxes, with the savings reinvested in the redevelopment, per the authority.
A Mill With Deep Hamilton Roots
The woolen mill's story stretches back well over a century. Construction began in 1893, and the complex was completed in 1922, according to the station's report. The mill ceased operations in Hamilton in 1967, as reported by journal-news.com, leaving the building vacant for decades before Bloomfield/Schon stepped in.
The size and scope of the plan have shifted some over time. Journal-News reporting notes that the commercial space has been reduced from an original 10,000 square feet to 7,000 and now to about 5,000 square feet. Other project figures have varied across coverage as well: an earlier Butler County Finance Authority report described plans for around 125 loft-style apartments, while Local 12's latest report puts the number at 127. Cost figures have also diverged slightly, with Local 12 describing the project as approximately $29 million while a Journal-News caption cited a $27 million figure.
Officials Point To Years Of Persistence
Joshua A. Smith, president and CEO of the Butler County Finance Authority, credited the city for sticking with the project through its long gestation. Smith said Hamilton deserves credit for persistence and leadership on the project, and he said the financing tool, city incentives, and developer investment together will help make possible the mill's rehabilitation, per the authority.
Smith also pointed to potential ripple effects beyond the mill's walls. He said the redevelopment could draw activity to Pleasant Avenue businesses, and said the benefits of the project could extend beyond the mill itself and strengthen Lindenwald's business district more broadly.
Part Of A Broader Pattern For The Developer
Bloomfield/Schon is no stranger to converting old industrial buildings into housing. The firm has also redeveloped the American Can Lofts and Kirby School Apartments in Cincinnati's Northside neighborhood, as well as the Peters Cartridge Factory in Warren County, according to Local 12's reporting. At the Peters Cartridge site, developer Ken Schon has envisioned up to 130 high-end loft-style apartments, some with indoor parking, along with a possible ground-floor commercial strip that could include restaurants, a bar, and even an ice cream shop, according to Cincinnati Magazine.
The Hamilton project fits into a wider pattern of the city's redevelopment push. Having already revitalized its downtown and Main Street corridor, Hamilton is now expanding its focus to Lindenwald, the Journal-News reported. For a neighborhood built around the mill's old footprint, turning its namesake factory back into a place where people actually live would mark a new chapter more than a century after construction first began.
