The City of Danville and The Alexander Company held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the White Mill’s exciting progress at the project site of 424 Memorial Drive. During the ceremony, Mayor Alonzo Jones unveiled the new name for the building “Dan River Falls.”

“As a nod to Dan River Fabrics and the mills historic name as well as the use of Dan River as an economic engine, the name Dan River Falls is being introduced to celebrate the site’s history and look forward to it’s future,” said Jones as he addressed the crowd in attendance.

Jones also declared Thursday as Dan River Falls day to celebrate the announcement. Hunt R. Hedrick Jr. grew up with both of his parents working for Dan River and then went to work for the company himself. He said it means a lot to see the building being put to good use.

“It makes my heart swell to know that his building is going to live on to serve Danville and be a tribute to Dan River, because it was such a fine company and served Danville for generations and put Danville on the map,” said Hedrick Jr.

Once the project is completed Dan River Falls will provide 147,000 square feet of commercial space and 150 units of housing, of which 32 will be reserved for individuals and families earning up to 80% of area median incomes. The apartments will be built on the top three floors of the western two-thirds of the building and will include one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes. The first floor and the eastern one-third of the second floor will be reserved for commercial space, with the lower level of the building being converted into 219 interior parking spaces for tenants.

The Alexander Company said on Thursday that they expect the project to be completed in 18-20 months, which means it should be finished by late 2024.