Atlanta-based Portman Holdings has released renderings of its mixed-use project at 528 S. Turner Ave. in historic West End.
Portman is transforming a 105-year-old textile mill into a mixed-use campus known as Savona Mill. The campus will include 200,000 square feet of office and retail space, an outdoor amphitheater, greenery, rooftop deck and a community-centric plaza.
Affiliate Portman Residential is adding a 600-plus multifamily community next to the mill. This project marked Portman Residential’s first in Charlotte; it is now working on a high-rise apartment tower in South End, too. The firm purchased the mill and surrounding property for $11.5 million in 2020, the Charlotte Business Journal reported.
“If you ever set foot in Savona Mill, you know what a special building it is and the role it has played in the fabric of this community,” said Travis Garland, executive vice president of Portman Holdings. “When we were forming plans for the redevelopment, it was important that we pay homage to the original building by keeping many of the elements – such as reused wood flooring, wherever possible – in the design.”
Garland previously told CBJ that this project will be unique for Portman Holdings. The company has done adaptive-reuse projects in the past, but not with an old mill.
The original building was constructed in 1915, and sections were added in 1921, 1951 and 1996. Portions of Savona Mill have been deemed historic and were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
“We are thrilled to revitalize such a special place for its next chapter, and hope that the local Charlotte community will enjoy the space in the ways we have envisioned,” Garland said.
Demolition and site work have already started, and construction is scheduled to begin early next year. The office and retail portions are expected to be finished a year later, with the residential community to arrive later in 2023.
The Savona Mill project team includes Durham-based Alliance Architecture, Edifice as the general contractor, Kimley-Horn and Surface 678.
“As we look around the market and talk with prospects, it’s becoming clear that more companies are making their real estate decisions based on the quality of the space itself,” said John Ball, partner at Foundry Commercial. “In our business, it is easy to say a project is ‘unique,’ but Savona really is one of those rare instances where we are delivering the quality of new construction and combining it with a historic structure that truly differentiates it from others in the market. People are going to fall in love with it.”
Foundry’s Ball, Cody Sundberg and Claiborne Dandridge are responsible for office leasing. Keely Hines will be managing retail leasing.
Portman Holdings' other Charlotte developments include The Westin Charlotte and 615 South College in uptown. The company is nearing competition on The Line, a 293,000-square-foot office and retail project that will soon be home to Sycamore Brewing. Once The Line opens, work will begin on a 25-story luxury apartment tower next to it, at the site of Sycamore’s current home, 2161 Hawkins St.