Before I begin I'd like to extend greetings to all; I am a newly-registered member and am very pleased to have found such a great site, where like-minded persons of all stripes can communicate.

The Crown Vantage/ Peninsular Paper Mill in Ypsilanti already has a database entry, but I felt that in consideration of recent developments, this building really needed a thread so as to alert the community as to its pending demise.

The center section of the mill, which is located at Huron River Drive & Leforge Road in Ypsilanti, was first built in 1867 and for many years provided the Chicago Tribune with the newsprint for its paper. Over the years (mostly between the 1940's and now) the mill has been added to repeatedly and in turn is a rather confusing maze of levels and corridors, running through a hodge-podge of structures (which have all been painted white, as if that will make them match better). In the 1990's, after several changes of ownership, the mill went bankrupt and was sold to what the papers refer to as " three local investors", who promptly sold the entire property to a company called Edwards Communities (which is a large apartment builder/landlord from Columbus, Ohio).

The city of Ypsilanti is strapped for cash, and so they have gone ahead and allowed the firm to tear down the entire paper mill in order to build a very bland apartment complex for EMU students. As of this writing, they have only begun on the east end of the structure (which is offices) by knocking one hole into the second story and lifting in two little catterpillar earth movers to begin removing debris and structural rods. Based on the equipment lined up outside, however, they will no doubt increase their speed soon- which I will hopefully be able to keep interested UER members aware of through this thread.

Now for the personal side. I live near the mill (in a pre-existing bland apartment complex), and am pretty riled up about the whole plan, partially because the proposed useage of the land is very lame, poorly concieved, and unwarranted, but mainly because the existing structure has great potential for development for a multi-use property (My first comparison, if anyone's familiar with it, would be the Quaker Square complex in Akron, Ohio where they turned a mill into shops and offices and the adjoining silos into a hotel. On these boards there was mention of a Mill in Georgetown, Ontario where they're planning on doing the same). Regardless, the fact is that a very cool building is in its death throes, which is a loss for the local community, as well as a sad day for Urban Explorers.

If you're planning on going, I strongly advise a respirator as there are definitely airborne irritants of some sort in the northern half and lower levels of the mill. Entry is pretty obvious but DON'T try getting into the windows on the south side which have been broken-despite being at basement level there is a 6-foot drop inside, onto a pile of shattered glass.


Please ask if you have any questions about the mill's history, or details about the current status.


Thanks for your patience in reading all this- it's a subject close to my heart (and hearth) and it's great to be able to discuss it here.