Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment is the largest privately owned arts facility in the United States. With a focus on visual arts, this huge historic factory building has been redeveloped into 153 working studios for over 200 artists and makers, 7 galleries, a theatre, community garden, and performance venues.
History
Arthur Lowe, a New England native, founded Lowe Manufacturing Company in 1900 with the vision of bringing textile production closer to the cotton fields of the South. Located just outside of Huntsville, Alabama, Lowe Mill opened in 1901, capitalizing on locally grown cotton. At that time, Huntsville was becoming an emerging hub for textile mills, with other entrepreneurs recognizing the region’s potential for mill development as well.
To appreciate how Lowe Mill transformed from a textile mill in Alabama into the South's largest collaborative arts center, it's key to explore Huntsville's unique story. Its evolution touches on Civil War history, cotton economy shifts, labor movements, army supply demands, and ultimately, its embrace of artistic innovation. This journey reflects not only changes in industry but also shifts in cultural purpose, making Lowe Mill an emblem of creative revival in Huntsville.
Huntsville's history dates back to 1805 when Revolutionary War veteran John Hunt settled near what is now Big Spring Park, close to Lowe Mill A&E's current location. Officially incorporated in 1811, Huntsville became Alabama’s first town. It played a key role in the state’s early development, achieving territory status in 1817 and statehood in 1819.
From 1810 to 1860, several cotton mills emerged in Madison County near Huntsville, leveraging the region’s abundant cotton resources. The first, Cabanas Cotton Spinning Factory, opened in 1817, followed by Horatio Jones Cotton Spinning Factory in 1819, which later became Bell Factory. Known for its high production, Bell Factory gained prominence as Alabama’s most renowned antebellum mill, operating with enslaved labor. Later, the Flint Manufacturing Company (1850) and McFarland Mill (before 1860) added to Madison County's robust early textile industry along the Flint River.
The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. A year later, on April 11, 1862, Union General Ormsby Mitchel, a Unionist and noted astronomy scholar, captured Huntsville, Alabama. This strategic victory severed the Confederacy's Memphis-Charleston Railroad, impacting vital supply routes. With Huntsville under Union control until the end of the war in 1865, the town’s infrastructure largely remained intact—unlike many Southern cities that faced widespread destruction by advancing Union forces.
In 1879, Arthur Lowe joined others to establish the Parkhill Manufacturing Company to produce fine ginghams. Starting with only 30 looms, Lowe managed this small mill with a dedication that transformed it into one of the largest gingham manufacturers in the country. His success in the textile industry later inspired him to create Lowe Mill in Huntsville, Alabama, bringing New England's cotton milling practices to the South. This legacy established a foundation that would eventually evolve into the Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment center.
In the 1880s, Huntsville's leaders realized that by establishing local textile mills, they could use Madison County’s cotton to produce cloth directly in the city, generating economic growth and job opportunities. To bring this vision to life, they actively sought investment and expertise from Northern mill owners, inviting them to open factories in Huntsville. This strategy marked the beginning of Huntsville's local textile industry, setting the stage for future developments like the establishment of Lowe Mill, which would later evolve into the thriving arts community known today.
The Huntsville Cotton Mill Company, Huntsville's first cotton mill, opened in 1880 and was funded by Northern investors. By 1900, three additional mills had emerged: Dallas Manufacturing Company, West Huntsville Cotton Mills Company, and Merrimack Manufacturing Company. These developments established Huntsville as a significant player in the Southern textile industry and set the foundation for a thriving local economy powered by cotton production and textile manufacturing.
1900 Arthur H. Lowe arrived in Huntsville. Lowe planned arrangements for the incorporation of Lowe Manufacturing Company and the construction of Huntsville's fifth mill, but left abruptly. It was Pratt, in 1900, who incorporated Lowe Manufacturing Company. Soon after Pratt and O’Shaughnessy agreed to terms for the construction of Lowe Mill, the fifth cotton mill in Huntsville.
1901 Lowe Mill opened for textile production. D.C. Finney is put in charge of the plant acting as agent for Arthur H. Lowe. The company provided housing for mill workers, whose job was to spin local cotton into fibers and yarn for the textile industry. The following year, Eastern Manufacturing Company completed a weaving mill on the adjacent property. This new enterprise utilized the output from Lowe Mill to produce high-grade clothes and linens.
1904 The North building was constructed and connected to the earlier portion which is currently called ‘The Connector’.
1909 Arthur Lowe sold his interest in the plant to Columbia University astronomy professor Charles Poor, the first of many New Yorkers who would figure in the factory’s future.
1911 Hunter Manufacturing Co. took over Eastern Manufacturing Co, but the mill continued to operate as a textile mill under the title "Lowe Mill". The mill complex went through several physical and ownership changes.
1919 One of every five workers walked out in wave of nationwide strikes, including national clothing, coal and steel strikes, a general strike in Seattle, and a police strike in Boston.
1920-30 Across the nation workers in all industries began to unionize, the workers in Huntsville's cotton mills were no exception. Labor strikes occasionally disrupted work in Huntsville's cotton mills throughout this decade.
1932 Lowe Manufacturing Company declared bankruptcy at the height of the Great Depression.
1933 The mill reincorporated as Lowe Mills, Inc. in January 1933, with Donald Comer, head of Birmingham, Alabama's Avondale Mills, as majority stockholder.
1933 Roosevelt's "New Deal" National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) protected the rights of workers, membership spiked from 40,000 to 270,000.
1934 On July 17, 1934, the workers of Lowe Mill walked off their shift due to lack of progress to improve working conditions.
1936-37 Textile manufacturing ended despite an attempt to rescue the mill from failure with an ownership change in 1936, with Edwin Greene of New York becoming the majority stockholder. When operations ended in March 1937, the Lowe Corp. buildings were sold to Walter Laxton and used as a warehouse for cotton.
1946 General Shoe Company (founded as the Jarmen Shoe Company of Nashville, TN in 1924, changed to General Shoe in the 1930s and became Genesco in 1959) began to manufacture shoes.
1959 General Shoe changed its name to Genesco. In the '60s, during the Vietnam war, Genesco produced the majority combat boots for US soldiers. Genesco continued production until 1979, and many US soldiers in Vietnam wore boots made at Genesco's Huntsville factory.
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. Hudson remains the current owner of Lowe Mill.
2001 Jim Hudson, the founder of HudsonAlpha Research Genetics, purchased Lowe Mill at the corner of Seminole Drive and 9th Avenue and gave new life to what was Huntsville's first suburb.
2004 The Flying Monkey Arts Center opened on the 2nd floor of the South building.
2008 The studios on the second-floor connector are open for business.
2009 The 3rd floor is opened by Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, LLC.
2010 The 1st floor South building studios are opened to the public.
2012-13 In February, Railroad Rooms are finished.
2014 The 2nd floor North building studios are open to the public. The most recent addition to Lowe Mill A&E was the opening of the second floor of the North Building. This addition made Lowe Mill A&E the nation's largest privately owned arts and entertainment facility, totaling 153 working studios, 7 art galleries, over 200 artists and makers, and 4 performance venues.
