Lowe Mill is an historic old cotton mill of approximately 171,000 sq ft (15,900 m2) located at 2211 Seminole Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35805.
In 1900, Arthur H. Lowe of Fitchburg, Massachusetts formed Lowe Manufacturing Co, and began the building of Huntsville’s fifth textile mill. Lowe Mill opened in 1901 with 25,000 spindles that helped to turn locally-grown cotton into woven cloth.
In 1902, Eastern Manufacturing Company built the final large mill in Huntsville, a weaving mill across from Lowe Mill. Lowe Mill and Eastern Manufacturing merged their companies and the two buildings in 1904. The spinning Mill supplied yarns for the weaving mills, where the highest grade ginghams and shirtings were made to supply large clothing manufacturers throughout the nation.
In December 1932, Lowe Manufacturing Co declared bankruptcy, and the factory started back up again under Lowe Mills, Inc in January 1933, with Donald Comer, head of Birmingham’s Avondale Mills as majority stock holder. In 1936, Lowe Mill changed hands again when Edwin Greene of New York became majority stock holder of the renamed Lowe Corporation. In March 1937, Lowe Corporation was dissolved, the plant was sold to Walter Laxson and became a cotton warehouse.
At the end of World War II, in December 1945, Nashville-based General Shoe Co. opened a shoe factory in Lowe Mill, employing up to 800 people. In 1959, General Shoe Co. became Genesco, Inc. Many US soldiers in Vietnam wore boots made at Genesco’s Huntsville factory.
In 1978, Genesco closed and Martin Industries turned Lowe Mill into a warehouse for residential and commercial heating systems.
In 1999, realtor Gene McLain bought Lowe Mill and then in 2001, sold it to Research Genetics founder Jim Hudson, who is the current owner of Lowe Mill.
In 2006, Operon Biotechnologies, Inc (now Eurofins MWG Operon) relocated its global HQ and USA production facility to the Lowe Mill’s north wing and Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment in the east and south wings. Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment houses The Flying Monkey Arts Center, Vertical House Records, Susan Knecht Glass Studio & Gallery, Ozaki Fine Art, Amber Brookman, The Wedge–Rita Burkholder, The Dead Workers Party and many more artists. There is a weekly artist market held every Saturday from 12–4 pm and music, film, theatre events every weekend.