Madison hotel named to Historic Hotels of America list
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A former cotton mill in Madison that was transformed into a boutique hotel four years ago has earned another national distinction.
The Fairfield Inn & Suites Madison Historic Eagle Cotton Mill has been named to Historic Hotels of America’s 2025 Top 25 Best of Adaptive Reuse list.
Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and promoting the historic hotels. The Adaptive Reuse list recognizes 25 “richly preserved historic buildings that were not originally built to be hotels.”
“These hotels are proof that historic buildings can offer modern amenities while preserving their timeless character,” the organization said in a news release.
The Eagle Cotton Mill was constructed in 1884 and originally produced twine and fabric. During World War II, it was bought by Meese Inc. and converted to produce canvas goods and combat gear. The facility was vacated in 1980 and at one point was named to Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list.
The building was transformed into a hotel in 2021 after a more than $20 million restoration, plans for which began in 2019.
“The building’s façade remains mostly the same, as a masonry company repaired more than a million original bricks, and new windows were installed within the original frames,” Historic Hotels of America said. “Inside, the building retains its original wooden beams, where visitors can see where factory workers carved their names, and the names of their loved ones, into the wood.”
The inclusion on the Best of Adaptive Reuse list comes nearly two years after the hotel was inducted into the Historic Hotels of America program. The hotel also received Indiana Landmarks’ Renaissance Award in 2023.
The 2025 Top 25 Best of Adaptive Reuse list also includes a former luxury ocean liner in California, a former department store in North Carolina, and a former U.S. Army fort and barracks in Maine.
You can connect to the full list by clicking here.