Home»All Photographs»Centennial Mills, Portland, Oregon

Crown Mills, later renamed Centennial Mills, is a former large grain milling and processing facility located on the Willamette River, consisting of eleven distinct but interconnected structures built between 1910 and 1940. As Crown Mills, it began operation in 1910 when Portland was a major grain processing and shipping hub that connected interior Northwest agricultural regions to national and international markets. Renamed Centennial Mills in 1955, the complex modernized its equipment and expanded its product lines thru the 20th century. The Portland Development Commission acquired the deteriorating 4.75 acre property in 2000 for the purpose of enhancing the waterfront with public open spaces as well as residential, office and retail development. Of the eleven structures, plans are for nine to be demolished with the distinctive seven-story flour and four-story feed buildings being preserved.