Officials in Lewiston have approved plans for a new permanent home for the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor (Maine MILL).
The $13 million project calls for the renovation of the Camden Yarns mill, plus an 8,000 square foot addition.
"It was a former cotton mill, so it is an important part of telling the broader textile history in Lewiston, and broadly in Maine," said Rachel Ferrante, the museum's executive director. "And so that will be prominently featured."
The Maine MILL has been located in the Bates Mill Complex for years, but Ferrante said the arrangement has always been temporary.
The new museum will have permanent and temporary gallery spaces and classrooms for community events. The city's riverfront walkway will eventually be extended and will pass through the museum's property.
The project has been in the works for nearly 15 years, when the museum purchased the former mill building on Beech Street as a vacant property.
Construction will start this fall, and Ferrante said the new location should open sometime in early 2026.