MADISON, Ind. (WDRB) -- The old Eagle Cotton Mill sits at the base of the Milton-Madison Bridge on the Ohio River bank welcoming visitors to Madison.
“You come across from Milton, Kentucky, and it’s one of the first things you see,” City of Madison Mayor Damon Welch said. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, it's a shame someone doesn't do something with that building.’”
The mill was built in 1884 and has been vacant for decades. Graffiti covers the walls, broken glass covers the ground and old sewing machines and equipment are scattered throughout the building.
Madison, Indiana's Eagle Cotton Mill
$21 million will transform the old mill into a new Marriott Brand 80-room boutique hotel and conference center.
“We really think this will be a game-changer for Madison,” Welch said.
City officials say Madison has needed a new hotel downtown for a long time.
“Even putting new windows in and seeing people down there, it's going to transform that whole area and spur other developments,” said Nicole Schell Madison's city planner and preservation coordinator."
Welch said tourists visit for the city’s history but often stay somewhere else, and Madison loses out on tourism dollars that could have been spent in the city.
“Especially on busy weekends, sometimes they have to stay out of town,” Welch said. “We really believe this is going to help everyone's business in the end.”
Construction is scheduled to start this summer. The hotel should open by summer of 2020.
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