Mill 180 Park: Article
Feature: Mill 180 Park
Caroline McCann
An indoor hydroponic park has opened for the first time in Easthampton Massachusetts and possibly for the first time in the world. The park, named Mill 180 after the mill building it is located in, opened it’s doors on September eighth to all ages. In a climate where park access is only available during half of the year, park owners Michael Sundell and Suzanne White hope that Mill 180 will be a year long haven for community members.
The 14,000 square-foot park features lush lawns for children and adults to roam with winding walkways, flowering gardens, games like cornhole and bocce, sound systems for events and a cafe with wine and beer. In addition to all of this, the food served at the cafe is made with hydroponically grown ingredients from the park’s gardens.
The gardens are certainly one of the most visually striking aspects of the park. By using hydroponic technology they are not only able to grow vegetables and herbs for the café to use, but they also provide beautiful displays of plants throughout the park. One of the newest installations of hydroponic technology is a ten foot tower of sugar snap peas that will eventually grow to cover the entire structure. Through installations like these it is as if they are combining art with nature.
The idea for this visionary park first occurred over breakfast between the now co-owners, White and Sundell. Sundell, a former software engineer, has always been interested in landscape architecture. A Georgia native, he missed the green trees, grass and flowers during the winter months after moving to Easthampton. White happened to be a landscapist and avid gardener and together they thought an indoor park would be a perfect opportunity to combine their talents and passions.
Their objective was to bring all of the benefits of a park on a summer day, indoors. A place where their community could come to interact and enjoy the benefits of nature and fresh air all year long. They believed that through creating a space that is ideal to use all year, they could strengthen their community from the inside out.
In an interview, White said, “We heard of people starting to propose spaces like this in cities and just thought, wouldn’t that be just perfect here?” Easthampton had once been a bustling mill city but as the manufacturing companies left, many of the mills were left vacant. Over the decades in which the mills have been out of use, some have been turned into luxury apartments or workspaces where others had been torn down entirely. Mill 180 happened to be left vacant since the closing of the factories. Sundell, who has always been fascinated with the idea of combining “the old with the futuristic,” and thought that the historical mill were a perfect location for the park.
Sundell said, “Hopefully this is a model site that we can then have other people come to see it and say hey let’s do that in our school, let’s do that in our nursing home, let’s do that in Detroit or in communities where it’s hard to find a safe, recreational, happy place.”
The park took nearly two years and $2 million to build and the owners are always looking for new features to add. Most recently, a new technology was installed into the parks sound system which simulates sounds that could be heard in nature, depending on what weather is outside. For example, while the volume is not particularly loud, at night there is a faint background noise of crickets chirping.
When asked about changes within the park, Northampton resident Gina Carroll said, “I’ve only been coming come here a few times with my kids but I’ve noticed a few new things. I’m really happy that they put in the mats and blocks over there, they love them. Keeps them busy.”
The park, which is free for anyone to visit, is open from 9 in the morning to 10 at night everyday except Monday, which is the day they close early at five to clean the park. For those looking for a warm place to spend time with friends over the winter months, park owners Michael Sundell and Suzanne White hope you stop by.
