City Mills Building
Also known as: Sun Produce Building
Why it's listed
Rising four stories above a raised basement on North Main Street in Mansfield, this brick mill was built in 1881 by Gilbert, Waugh & Co. to house a modern roller milling operation. Roller mills ground wheat more finely than buhrstones, and the new steam-powered plant tripled capacity from 100 to 300 barrels of flour per day. The building keeps its pressed metal cornice, classical parapet, slate roof, segmentally arched windows and rounded limestone entrance steps, along with painted signage from early occupants. Inside are open floors, post and beam construction and exposed brick walls. Flour production continued until about 1920, after which the building served as a wholesale fruit and produce warehouse, with cold storage added in the basement in the 1920s. It is the only building left from Mansfield's 19th century flour milling industry, which once included three mills, and it remains a landmark of the North Main Street industrial area.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the most intact late 19th century industrial buildings left in Mansfield and a good example of a steam-powered roller mill. It illustrates how the steam engine and roller milling changed the grist milling economy in the 1880s. It is also the only structure remaining from the city's 19th century flour milling industry.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86003500, listed December 18, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 160 N. Main St., Mansfield |
|---|---|
| County | Richland County |
| Listed | December 18, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003500 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | unknown (built by Gilbert, Waugh & Co.) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and used as a produce warehouse; condition listed as fair and unaltered, with the interior well preserved though mill machinery has been removed. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.76492, -82.51502 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86003500.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138663771
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.