Two Groups Are Stepping Up to Save The Mill

The legendary Mill restaurant and bar in Iowa City shut down last month after almost 60 years in business after the most recent owners decided to end their 17-year-run due to a difficult stretch of business during the pandemic. The restaurant may be getting new life, however, as two new potential owners decided to step in, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Shortly after it was closed, "Save the Mill" and "Refounders of the Mill", who are the two informal and non-profit groups working to preserve it,  sprung into action to not only get the venue designated a historical landmark but also potentially buy and reimagine it. After purchasing The Mill's rights and assets and delving into the nitty-gritty part of working to get it designated as a historical landmark, they want to keep The Mill's iconic brand alive in a potentially different location.

Marc Moen still owns the building and in his statement on Facebook when closing, said, "we hope that someone else might want to take over the mission to preserve this institution. It’s a cool place and important to a lot of people in Iowa City."

There seems to now be someone with that interest but it's all going to remain on hold until "once COVID cases and deaths stop rising", according to David Sterling of Refounders of the Mill.

With local area businesses closing either directly or indirectly due to the Coronavirus pandemic, patrons of this Iowa City staple would love to see new life breathed into The Mill and have its actual site kept intact.