The ETSU Foundation will lease space at the Model Mill Development that will become the new home for the Office of University Advancement at East Tennessee State University as well as the ETSU National Alumni Association.
ETSU anticipates relocating the offices to the Model Mill Development sometime in October of this year.
“The restoration of the Mill has been a long anticipated project for this region and we are honored to have a presence in the beautiful new facility and to be part of this historic move,” said Pam Ritter, ETSU Vice President for University Advancement and President/CEO of the ETSU Foundation. “Our advancement and alumni staff are engaged within the community 365 days each year, and our presence at the Mill positions us closer to our donors, alumni and other friends within the community.”
The Model Mill was constructed in the early 1900s and is located on the corner of Walnut and Sevier streets near the ETSU campus. Local business leaders Grant Summers and Rab Summers purchased the Mill in 2016 and began a massive renovation of the facility that will become the new headquarters for Summers-Taylor construction company and also provide space for other tenants.
Grant Summers, who is president of Summers-Taylor, says his longstanding dream was for ETSU to have a presence at this facility.
“ETSU is an important leader in our region, and from the beginning President Brian Noland has been very supportive of the university partnering with us, and that commitment gave us the confidence to move forward with this project,” Summers said.
The designer for the Model Mill Development is Thomas Weems Architect.
“Our students, faculty, staff and alumni have an active presence in Downtown Johnson City throughout the year, and we recognize the potential that Walnut Street offers in forming deeper linkages between the university and the downtown area,” said Whitney Goetz, who became Executive Director of the Alumni Association on July 1.
