Alber Brothers Mill Ghost Sign - Tacoma, Washington
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 14.715 W 122° 26.034
10T E 542840 N 5232573
Five brothers worked together to create and run the Alber Brothers Milling Co. The mill thrived operated here from 1904 until 1944. The building has been refurbished and is now high end appartments.
Waymark Code: WM186J
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/19/2007
Views: 83
Five brothers worked together to create and run the Albers Brothers Milling Company. The brothers expanded their business from Oregon to Tacoma in 1904 with the construction of their mill on the Thea Foss Waterway. The mill thrived and was so successful that in 1920, it boasted of cereal mills in five other states and overseas
in Japan, Manchuria and Chile. The mill continued to operate until 1944. From 1950 to the early 1980s the Albers Mill complex was used primarily as a warehouse.
In late 1980's, the waterway was declared a superfund site causing a major effort to demolish and clean the neglected area. The cleanup was completed and this five-story building and an adjacent 1916 two-story warehouse remained on the site. In 1993 a major fire destroyed the latter building and the fate of the mill building was in jeopardy.
Developers and architects were planning a revitalization of the Foss Waterway and the Albers mill was melded with the planned redevelopment. Next to the mill the Museum of Glass was constructed with its towering conical hot shop. Joining the museum to the historic Union Station and new Washington State History Museum building was the world renowned bridge of glass by Dale Chihuly. The original shell of Alber’s Mill was retained, but modern industrial looking portions were added. These additions helped meld the old brick building with the ultra modern structures adjacent to it. The ghost signs on the building remain a testament to its former use.
The Mill interior was redesigned and now includes 36 apartments ranging in size from 700 to 1,200 square feet, the William Traver Gallery, the Vetri Glass Gallery, several offices and a 50-stall garage. Also developed was a new marina for transient moorage, and continuation of the esplanade to South 21st Street where a new park is to be located.