Tempe Approves Hayden Flour Mill Redevelopment

One of the oldest and most iconic buildings in Tempe is the Hayden Flour Mill. Located within walking distance of the Tempe Town Lake and adjacent to the ASU campus, the old flour mill is a highly visible monument of the city's history.

First opened by Charles Trumbull Hayden in the late 1800s, the mill produced flour until 1998. Since closing down, the large white silos have attracted vandals, scrappers, graffiti artists, urban explorers, and the homeless. The city has been searching for to do something with the historic structure.
The latest development involves converting the former grain silos into luxury hotel rooms, in partnership with Aparium (an operator of boutique hotel rooms). The as-yet-unnamed hotel would be the centerpiece of a mixed-use shopping and dining center, which would also include a 4,000 seat ampitheatre at the base of Hayden Butte.

Skepticism over the project is to be expected. This is not the first time a developer has pitched the idea of restoring the old mill to the city. This time though, it could be for real!

Tempe has named a developer and given them 120 days to negotiate a final contract for the project. This is an exciting time for Baum Development, SmithGroupJJR as architect and Sundt Construction Inc. as general contractors.

A December 2014 article in the Phoenix Business Journal showed this artist rendering of what the finished hotel could look like.

We'll be sure to keep you updated on this project as more news emerges! What do you think, would you like to see the Hayden Flour Mill be redeveloped as a hotel, or would you like to see it become a museum/welcome center or something else?

June 2020 Update: It appears that not much has happened with the site since I posted this article five years ago. Construction was supposed to begin in 2018 with some amenities open in 2019 and the project completed by early 2021, according to an article in Arizona Highways. We can speculate about whether it was a funding issue or permitting that has stalled the project, but I don't know for sure. With the economy suffering as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is looking like a mixed-use hotel, retail, and office project may not be feasible in the near future as well.

The developer has set up a website with news updates and contact information, which hasn't been updated since 2018. Visit https://haydentempe.com/ and https://www.baumrevision.com/hayden-flour-mill for more project information.