The historic building located at 515 North Washington Street in Alexandria, Virginia, United States, has been used as a cotton mill, prison, factory, office space, and apartments.
The property was converted into The Mill, a 25-unit apartment building featuring original architectural details and an adjoining park.
The other rumors are that it was placed there by local police after an employee was brutally murdered on the property in 1854 or that prison guards would use it as a stand-in when they would go on breaks.
The building became Alexandria's first cotton mill, employing around 150 people, mostly women, who worked 11 hours a day and earned between $12-$17 a month.
[3] The mill was not a successful business venture and in March 1852, the group chose to lease the building to another company starting that August.
A tragic event that took place at the property occurred on July 21, 1854, when night watchman Michael Kiggin was found brutally murdered.
[2][6][7] In 1866 businessman Abijah Thomas purchased the building and attempted to revive the cotton mill's pre-war success.
Unfortunately for Thomas, the business did not succeed and two of his creditors, Turnbull Baxter & Co. and the First National Bank of Alexandria, ended up suing each other.
The property was purchased for $33,000 by Baltimore businessman Robert Garrett in 1877, but he closed it to prevent the mill from being a competitor to his business in Maryland.
[1] The company painted 6-foot (1.8 m) tall lettering on the building featuring its name and advertising slogans such as "Be Good to Your Motor" and "The plug of continuous reliability.
"[5][9] After the factory closed the building was used by the United States Department of Agriculture during the early years of the Great Depression.
[5] In 1935 the building was converted for residential use, becoming the Belle Haven Apartment House, and a portico with Corinthian columns was added to the entrance.
[5] It was around this time a mannequin nicknamed Oscar that had been displayed in a second-floor window for several years first gained media attention.
A reporter for American Motorist magazine wanted to know the history of the mannequin and through his research, was told a few possibilities of its origin.
[4][5][8][9] At one point in the 1930s Oscar was stolen by pranksters and later found hanging from the Taft Bridge in Washington, D.C.[9] The Belle Haven Apartment House was converted into office space in 1981.
[9] In late 2013 real estate development company CAS Riegler purchased the property for $5.2 million with plans to convert it into a 25-unit apartment building.
[12][13] There is an adjoining park and an event space on the top floor with views of Old Town Alexandria and the Potomac River.