FILE PHOTO
The former Camden Yarns building in Lewiston, shown in a 2019 file photo, will house Maine MILL.
August 13, 2024
Lewiston's Maine MILL museum gets federal boost for redevelopment plans
Rendering / COURTESY, MAINE MILL
A rendering of Museum L-A's planned Maine MILL, to be located in the Camden Yarns building at 1 Beech St.
If approved by Congress, the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning, and Labor, or Maine MILL, could receive $3 million in federal funds toward its $17 million capital campaign.
Formerly called Museum L-A, the cultural attraction is planning to move from 35 Canal St. to the former Camden Yarns building at 1 Beech St. on the Lewiston riverfront.
The $3 million in congressionally directed spending was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and awaits consideration by the full Senate and House as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.
The money would go toward redevelopment of the Camden Yarns Mill building.
“The Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor plays an important role in the Lewiston-Auburn communities, helping to preserve the region’s rich history while also promoting innovation and creativity,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, vice chair of the appropriations committee.
“Redevelopment of the Camden Yarns Mill building for the Maine MILL would support ongoing efforts to promote job growth, improve infrastructure and boost local economies along the Androscoggin River.”
Museum L-A was founded in 1996 and opened its doors in 2004.
In 2022, it undertook its name and brand change in order to broaden the museum’s appeal and speak to diverse audiences, according to its website.
The former Camden Yarns mill was constructed in 1864. Textile manufacturing there ceased operation in 1992. The building had been vacant for decades, much of it in disrepair.
The museum bought it in 2009.
The money would help secure the building of the new facility and establish its expansion, said Rachel Ferrante, executive director of Maine MILL.
Maine MILL is a history and culture museum originally founded to preserve the artifacts and heritage of the industries that dominated western and central Maine for over 100 years.
The site, on the banks of the downtown Riverfront Island, consists of a 2.5-acre lot, where there remains the shell of a two-story brick mill building comprised of approximately 7,000 square feet on each floor. The mill was built in the 1860s.
The new addition will provide an additional approximately 11,000 square feet so that the museum will total about 25,000 square feet.
The projected museum will feature large spaces for a permanent collection and temporary galleries, classrooms, design lab and more.
The two portions of the project — renovating the existing mill building and building the addition — will be completed at the same time. Environmental remediation has been completed and the existing structure has been stabilized and cleaned.
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