Developer Plans $29M Mill Redevelopment in Hamilton

Bloomfield/Schon's project will convert the historic Shuler & Benninghofen Woolen Mill into 127 apartments and commercial space.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Commercial

Weathered red-brick nineteenth-century mill building with tall multi-pane windows and a stepped chimney beside a quiet small-city street under overcast sky. — Bloomfield/Schon plans a roughly $29 million redevelopment of the former Shuler & Benninghofen Woolen Mill in Hamilton, converting it into 127 apartments. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Bloomfield/Schon is leading an approximately $29 million redevelopment of the former Shuler & Benninghofen Woolen Mill in Hamilton, Ohio. The project includes 127 apartments and about 5,000 square feet of commercial space at Pleasant and Williams avenues.

Why it matters

The Butler County Finance Authority says its financing tool, city incentives, and the developer's investment will help make the rehabilitation possible. The project could help draw activity to businesses along Pleasant Avenue and encourage investment in nearby storefronts.

The redevelopment carries an approximate $29 million cost and includes a $3.5 million Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit. The source does not specify a construction start date or completion timeline.

The players

Bloomfield/Schon

Bloomfield/Schon is a developer that has redeveloped American Can Lofts and Kirby School Apartments in Cincinnati's Northside neighborhood, as well as the Peters Cartridge Factory in Warren County.

Butler County Finance Authority

The Butler County Finance Authority is a local finance body participating in the project through a capital lease arrangement.

The details

The mill's construction began in 1893 and the complex was completed in 1922. Eligible building materials will be exempt from a portion of sales taxes, with the savings reinvested in the redevelopment, and the city has worked with the developer since 2019.

1893: Construction of the mill began.
1922: The mill complex was completed.
2019: The city began working with the developer.

Market Landscape

The project relies on the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, which the developer has used on prior adaptive reuse projects in Cincinnati and Warren County. It follows a pattern of converting historic industrial buildings into residential and commercial space in the region.

Residents of Hamilton's Lindenwald neighborhood could see added housing and commercial space near Pleasant and Williams avenues. Businesses along Pleasant Avenue may gain foot traffic once the redevelopment moves toward construction.

The takeaway

Historic industrial buildings can be converted into housing and retail space when public tax credits and local financing are combined with private investment. Hamilton residents and local business owners should watch how the project shapes activity along Pleasant Avenue.