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Hotel Millwright wins Sustainability Award
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
AMANA — When a downturn in the textile industry left the historic Amana Woolen Mill with empty space, the Amana Society found a use for the old building that would save a vital part of Amana’s history and support the community’s economy and tourism industry.
Hotel Millwright, founded in 2020, won The Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association’s Sustainability Award in October. The award is sponsored by WoodRiver Energy.
The award-winning hotel is featured in a four-minute video, in the Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association magazine, “Iowa Hospitality Advocate,” and on the Lodging Association’s website, according to the Sept. 26 issue of the Amana Society Bulletin.
In the video, which can be seen on YouTube, Jeff Popenhagen, chief revenue officer for the Amana Society, says the hotel has been “a labor of love for the Amana Society and the community.
“The Amana Woolen Mill was established when the community was established in the 1850s,” Emilie Hoppe says in the video. That building and the 13 other buildings on the nine-acre site were all part of that woolen mill complex, she said.
“And woolen weaving was so important. It was the bedrock,” said Hoppe. “It’s what sustained the community for many, many generations.”
The Amana Society made a significant investment in the property, said Hoppe.
“We really started this project knowing we wanted it to be sustainable,” said Popenhagen in the video. “We wanted to be here 50, 100 years. … It’s been here 100 years. … I don’t want to be the person that doesn’t have it here for the next hundred.”
Textiles were essential to Amana’s beginnings, says the Hotel Millwright website. In addition to producing goods for the community’s use, the Mill helped support the colonists’ communal living by selling textiles across the country.
The mill gained a national reputation for superior woolens and continues to produce woven goods with the same set of standards it held when it began, operating out of the original century-and-a-half old building, the company’s website says.
The Amana mill is the only remaining textile mill in operation in Iowa.
When downsizing and changes in the textile industry left many of the buildings in the mill complex empty or under-utilized. The Amana Society took steps to preserve the physical structures and rich history of the mill complex so as not to lose a critical part of the Amana story and one of Iowa’s treasures, the website says.
According to a press release quoted in the Amana Society Bulletin in September, the Amana Society made a bold decision when it turned the mill complex into a boutique hotel.
The hotel worked with the Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development and Trees Forever to install eco-friendly features. Permeable pavers, native plant landscaping and a biorention cell manage stormwater runoff and protect the local watershed.
The hotel is powered partly by green electricity from the Amana Farms’ methane digester which turns methane form cattle manure into renewable energy, the press release said. The system reduces the hotel’s carbon footprint and supports local renewable energy efforts.
The award recognition document quoted in the Bulletin says, “By blending the past with the future, Hotel Millwright has created a sustainable hospitality experience that honors the heritage of the Amana Colonies and promotes environmental responsibility.”
Sustainability was an integral part of the redevelopment of the 65-room hotel, says an article in the Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association magazine.
“Sustainability is essential to the future of Iowa’s hospitality industry. By joining with WoodRiver Energy to recognize hotels like Hotel Millwright, we showcase the innovative efforts happening right here in our state to protect resources, preserve historic spaces, and reduce environmental impact,” said Jessica Dunker, president and CEO of the Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association in the magazine article.
“These initiatives not only benefit the hospitality industry but also strengthen Iowa’s communities and natural environment.”
"We're honored to serve as the energy partner for the IHLA," said Don Krattenmaker, COO of WoodRiver Energy, in the article. "The Amana Society has successfully revitalized this historic property, turning it into an integral part of the community while embracing and advancing sustainability in preserving historic buildings."
Hotel Millwright was honored with the IHLA Sustainability & Innovation Award at this year’s IHLA Industry Awards Ceremony Oct. 2.
