Moving Pillsbury Forward

11/25/2025

AB Mill water tower came down today!
[MPF would have loved to save it but unfortunately it simply was not feasible]😞
*video credit to Linda Kelley

11/06/2025

09/04/2025

Great news 📰

Demolition is set to begin in September at the former Pillsbury Mills site in Springfield.

07/23/2025

🚧 Checking in on a community revitalization project in progress! 🚧

🌱 EPA Great Lakes visited Springfield, Illinois last week to see EPA’s investment in brownfield cleanup and redevelopment in action. Here, the Pillsbury Mills plant—once the largest flour mill in North America—left behind asbestos, lead, and other contamination. EPA’s investment of more than $3.4 million to clean up the site is enabling the community initiative Moving Pillsbury Forward to begin realizing their vision for the site’s future.

04/03/2025

Moving Pillsbury Forward will host a Community Q&A at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, in the Lanphier High School Auditorium to provide an overview of the means and methods for asbestos abatement and demolition work and answer questions.

03/21/2025

🗞️

The proposed demolition of one of Springfield's past economic drivers appears to be hand. Here's what we know.

03/20/2025

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce that we have signed contracts for full cleanup and demolition of all structures at the former Pillsbury Mills site in Springfield. Yes…ALL STRUCTURES AT THE SITE WILL BE DEMOLISHED IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS!

Select Demo Services ( https://www.selectdemo.com/ ) will begin mobilization to the site next week to begin cleanup and removal of the remaining asbestos at the site. Lead paint chip removal will also take place. These activities are anticipated to begin in April and end in early September. This aspect of the overall project has been made possible through USEPA Cleanup Grants. These grants have allowed us to develop a project design that reduces overall project costs and recycles over 70,000 tons of concrete from the 160 silos at the site.

MPF is looking forward to working with GreenTrac ( https://greentrac.us/ ) on building demolitions and site rehabilitation in the coming months. We anticipate that they will mobilize equipment to the site in late April and complete site work in March of 2026. They are an Illinois-based company that has a great track record in Springfield for working well with our local workforce. Local projects they are involved in include: the State Capitol Complex improvements, demolition of the 11th St. former Salvation Army building, and demolition of the former IEPA building at 10th St. & North Grand Ave

Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental ( https://www.fehrgraham.com/ ) is our firm that is responsible for overall site coordination and management services. These services include soil, water, and air sampling through the duration of the project. We (MPF) have listened to the concerns of the community and have developed a rigorous perimeter and site safety monitoring protocol.

A designated demolition viewing area along 15th St. has been set up at the former Pillsbury employee parking lot east of 15th St between Enterprise St. and Division St. MPF volunteers have a field office set up in a 40ft shipping container. Seating, shade canopies, and bottled water will be available most weekdays. We hope to make this an inviting community gathering place and honor the rich history of the site while also looking forward to renewal for the community.

MPF has begun to plan for a public meeting to engage questions and comments from the community about the overall Pillsbury Project. We anticipate an announcement in the coming days as we firm up a date, time, and location.
Yes…It has been a long time in coming! An incredible community effort has finally made it happen! Thank you for being a part of this important community project.
Team Pillsbury

11/16/2024

FINAL GROUP PHOTO OPPORTUNITY EXPANDS TO INCLUDE FAMILY MEMBERS!!

We are now inviting family members of Pillsbury employees to attend the Final Group Photo opportunity and be a part of the history and celebration of Pillsbury

The photo shoot will commence with a group photo of Pillsbury employees, followed by group family photos.

This all happens on Friday November 22nd beginning at 1:00 pm. See below for additional details including rain date.

11/16/2024

we are asking former Pillsbury employees to join us for one last group photo in front of the employee names wall on Friday, November 22 at 1:00pm. The Pillsbury employee names wall was created this past Spring by local artist Jen Santarelli. She is the granddaughter of longtime Pillsbury worker Walter Santarelli who began his career in 1941. We have over 1300 names on the wall formally titled "Roll Call". The community response to this installation these past several months has been wonderful.

The plan is to have our preservation photographer, Ben Halpern, take a high-resolution group photo for the official archival record. The group photo (and all other preservation photos) will soon be archived and publicly available at the Lincoln Library Sangamon Valley Collection. This image, to be taken on-site, with the names and the employees is sure to be a powerful statement about what our Springfield PIllsbury plant meant to us as a community.

Employees and families are welcome to come to the Dock #107 entrance (corner of 16th St. and Phillips Ave.) beginning at noon on Friday, November 22. We are glad to have individuals and families take personal photos with the wall this one last time. Our scheduled rain date (if the weather will not allow for a good photo) is Friday December 6 at 1:00. Note: The wall area is accessible by ramp for those with mobility issues. We will have volunteers present at Dock #107 to arrange access.

A limited number of engraved Pillsbury bricks will be available during the photo event on Nov. 22

08/07/2024

06/27/2024

06/20/2024

The Pillsbury exhibit "Pillsburied" that was lost in the devastating fire on Adams Street yesterday was part of a larger project supported and facilitated by Moving Pillsbury Forward. The sculptures created from Pillsbury artifacts and the works of the graffiti artists that were such an integral part of this exhibit can be continued with your help. Charitable donations to support the art program are being accepted by Moving Pillsbury Forward through a GoFundMe page organized by MPF board member Tony DelGiorno. Donors are asked to make a note if the donation is intended for the art program.

Moving Pillsbury Forward, NFP (referred to as MPF) formed as a registered not-for… Tony DelGiorno needs your support for Support MPF's Pillsbury Redevelopment