A public-private project that turned one of Danville’s former textile mills into riverfront living space and offices was named a top project by a state business publication.
Virginia Business selected Dan River Falls as one of 18 projects honored in the inaugural Virginia Top Projects & Real Estate Deals awards program, the Danville Office of Economic Development and Tourism announced this week.
It will forever be known as the White Mill building by locals for the towering structure that sits next to a new Riverfront Park in downtown Danville.
It was once part of the sprawling Dan River Inc. textile empire that employed thousands of Danvillians until the industry started to unravel and jobs went overseas.
The iconic building underwent a roughly $110 million makeover via a partnership between The Alexander Co., a developer of historic buildings, and the Danville Industrial Development Authority.
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“Top Projects will spotlight the best building and construction projects delivered in Virginia during 2025 across key commercial and institutional categories, including office, medical, multifamily and education developments, while Real Estate Deals will recognize significant transactions shaping the commonwealth’s commercial real estate market,” Virginia Business announced in its application process.
More than 270 residents now call Dan River Falls home. The 550,000‑square‑foot structure also welcomed the city’s economic development and parks and recreation departments to new offices late last year and early in January.
Dewberry, an engineering consulting firm, also recently moved into the Dan River Falls space.
“Dan River Falls represents the kind of transformational historic rehabilitation that only happens through strong public-private partnership,” Dave Vos, development project manager of the Alexander Company, said in a statement.
“We are incredibly proud to have restored this iconic piece of Danville’s history alongside the city of Danville, whose vision and commitment made this project possible,” he continued. “Without their partnership, this remarkable building may never have had a second chapter.”
This is not the first time the project has won praise.
Over the past year, Dan River Falls has earned multiple awards and distinctions, including honors from the Public Relations Society of America’s Blue Ridge Chapter, the International Economic Development Council and the Brownfields People’s Choice Awards, the local economic development office reported.
“Dan River Falls is a powerful example of what’s possible when a community comes together with a shared vision,” Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones said in a statement. “We took a place that meant so much to our past and gave it new life for future generations.”
The winners will be featured in the July issue of Virginia Business and honored at a celebration on July 28.
Corrie Bobe, the former economic development director for Danville, said the building was vacant for three decades.
Now it has a new life.
“Through this incredible transformation, it now honors the history of the site that once provided jobs and opportunity for generations through Dan River Mills and today, it is once again creating opportunity for generations to come,” she said.
