The Parkhill Mill complex is located west of downtown Fitchburg, on the south bank of the Nashua River east of Oak Hill Road and north of Cleghorn Street.

The complex consists of four buildings, three of which are joined in a U shape open to the south; the fourth, the mill's former boiler house, is located just east of these three, oriented north–south and parallel to the eastern leg of the U.

Other features of the complex include its original brick chimney stack, and a former railroad bridge spanning the Nashua River.

Windows are set in segmented-arch openings, and the roof is of low pitch, with a projecting eave adorned with exposed rafters.

[2] The oldest portion of the complex, part of the U's base, was built in 1885 by Andrew Cleghorn, a Scottish immigrant who operated it as a textile mill.