“The End of an Era”
The Sperry Flour Mill, Vallejo, CA
The Sperry Flour Mill is a part of Vallejo’s long and rich industrial
history. The first mill on the site was established by Captain A.D. Starr
in 1869, and was purchased in 1910 by the Sperry Flour Company. In 1915,
during WW1, the mill supplied tons of flour to Europe for the wartime relief
effort and employed 363 workers. The mill eventually shipped flour to Asia and
South America as well, and Vallejo soon became California’s largest flour
shipping port. The current mill, built in 1919, was sold to General Mills
in 1929 and in 1934 a massive fire destroyed much of the mill and consumed 6000
tons of grain. In 2004 General Mills closed the plant and the site has sat
dormant despite changing hands between a few would be developers.
Currently the site is on schedule to be developed by a company calling
itself Vallejo Marine Terminal, LLC and is on track to reopen as an
international commodity shipping port utilizing rail, trucking and ship/barges.
The fates of its largest buildings are uncertain and they may likely be
demolished.
I hope you enjoy these images and the documentation of the
buildings. These may be the last testament of a long history of milling in
Vallejo. Hopefully, the new company will help to create a healthier and more vibrant
community.
The Sperry Flour Mill, Vallejo, CA
The Sperry Flour Mill is a part of Vallejo’s long and rich industrial
history. The first mill on the site was established by Captain A.D. Starr
in 1869, and was purchased in 1910 by the Sperry Flour Company. In 1915,
during WW1, the mill supplied tons of flour to Europe for the wartime relief
effort and employed 363 workers. The mill eventually shipped flour to Asia and
South America as well, and Vallejo soon became California’s largest flour
shipping port. The current mill, built in 1919, was sold to General Mills
in 1929 and in 1934 a massive fire destroyed much of the mill and consumed 6000
tons of grain. In 2004 General Mills closed the plant and the site has sat
dormant despite changing hands between a few would be developers.
Currently the site is on schedule to be developed by a company calling
itself Vallejo Marine Terminal, LLC and is on track to reopen as an
international commodity shipping port utilizing rail, trucking and ship/barges.
The fates of its largest buildings are uncertain and they may likely be
demolished.
I hope you enjoy these images and the documentation of the
buildings. These may be the last testament of a long history of milling in
Vallejo. Hopefully, the new company will help to create a healthier and more vibrant
community.
