The Hayden Flour Mill, located at the base of A Mountain, on Mill Avenue and near Tempe Town Lake, is one of Tempe’s most iconic buildings. It is among the primary reasons our city exists today.
History
The Hayden Flour Mill, as it stands, is the oldest cast-in-place, reinforced concrete building in Tempe. The mill that currently exists, however, is the third building erected on that site. Two previous mills burned. The original mill started operations in 1874.
The Hayden Flour Mill was the larger of two such mills in the state until April 01, 1998, when Bay State Milling stopped operation ending the longest run of continuous use for an industrial building in the Valley.
Read more about the Mill's history and other Tempe historic buildings by visiting our Tempe Historic Preservation pages.
Development
Two different developers have had contracts to create projects utilizing the mill and silos. Neither came to fruition. Because the Hayden Flour Mill is located at a prime intersection in downtown Tempe and to pay homage to the monument that the historic building plays in our city, together with the Rio Salado Foundation and the Downtown Tempe Community, the City of Tempe has created a public event space on the grounds. This is a temporary event venue, as the city continues to look for development partners on these buildings. Those interested may email business@tempe.gov or call 480 858-2059.
A Fresh Start
The grounds of the Hayden Flour Mill are now open for picnics and casual recreation. Some construction will continue on the site until the Sept. 20 grand opening.
The new Flour Mill site includes the opportunity for people to look through the ground floor windows of the Mill and see some of the equipment that was used to grind flour. Interpretive plaques explain what can be seen. A stage and concert lawn for approximately 250 people was built. A small grove of trees allows for shady picnics.
The Downtown Tempe Community will program the space and it can be rented for special events after the Sept. 20 grand opening. Contact leslie@downtowntempe.com for more information about how to reserve dates and costs.
More work needs to be done to finish the project. Donations may be given to the Rio Salado Foundation. Contact the group at www.supportriosalado.org for more information.