The original millstone of Welland Mills is mounted beside the building on stone salvaged from the old Welland Canal.The mill was designated in 1986 by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. This building was one of Upper Canada's largest flour mills. The substantial limestone structure was erected in 1846 and 1847 by Jacob Keefer. As of 2021, the building was being used for residences, Enterprise Niagara, a photography studio, and physiotherapy and rehab offices.

The Welland Mills building was given Ontario Heritage Foundation designation in 1986, and was recognized as one of Upper Canada's largest flour mills. During the first half of the 19th century, Welland Mills was one of the most productive industrial buildings in the Niagara Region. In 1926, they were capable of manufacturing 300 barrels of flour per day, and the storehouse was capable of containing 70,000 bushels of wheat and 5,000 barrels of flour. When it closed in 1926, the mill was owned by the Maple Leaf Milling Company.

The building features bold coursed stonework, highlighted by the tooled quoins, with stone sills and lintels to openings, and it is surmounted by gable roofs of low pitch with simple cornices and sloping eaves. The building has three full stories, which consist of a basement, a main floor, and and capacious roof space. The building is a U-shaped complex that forms a dominant anchor to downtown Thorold.

The Welland Mills complex was restored in November 2007 by Keefer Developoments. This creative adaptive reuse of the abandoned structure preserved the enormous historic and community significance of the flour mill. After restoration, the building contained 20 rental apartment units, main floor commercial rental space, walkout basement commercial rental space, and 8 townhouses located alongside the car park.

18 of the 20 residential apartments are Affordable Housing units, supported by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and other stakeholders.

Welland Mills is managed by Keefer Developments. As of 2021, the following organizations and commercial tenants occupied the Welland Mills heritage building:

Thorold Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

Venture Niagara / Enterprise Niagara

Niagara Angel Network

Phone: (289) 273-4547

Website: https://www.pthealth.ca/clinic/thorold-physiotherapy-and-rehabilitation-pt-health/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=gmb-website&utm_campaign=gmb_thorold_website

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pthealthphysio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pt-health/

Phone: (905) 680-8085

Website: https://niagaraangels.com/

Thorold Heritage Tour - Millstone - Welland Mills. GuideTags

https://www.guidetags.com/guidetags/explore/guidetags/brock-university/niagara-destinations/1094-thorold-heritage-tour-millstone-welland-mills

Thorold Heritage Tour - Welland Mills. GuideTags.

https://www.guidetags.com/guidetags/explore/guidetags/brock-university/niagara-destinations/1089-thorold-heritage-tour-welland-mills

Welland Mills C. 1846. Thorold Tourism.

http://www.thoroldtourism.com/preservation/welland-mills-c-1846/

Welland Mills 1846. Heritage Thorold.

https://www.heritagethorold.com/DESIGNATED%20PROPERTIES/welland_mills.html

Thorold A Walk Through History. Heritage Thorold LACAC.

https://heritagethorold.com/images/Heritage%20Thorold%20Brochure.pdf

Welland Mills. Niagara Greenbelt.

https://brocku.niagaragreenbelt.com/listings/69-mills/666-welland-mills.html

Images:

Old picture of Welland Mills:

https://www.heritagethorold.com/DESIGNATED%20PROPERTIES/welland_mills.html

Old picture of Welland Mills Millstone:

http://www.keeferdevelopments.com/Welland-Mills-Centre.html

Inside of Welland Mills:

http://www.keeferdevelopments.com/Welland-Mills-Centre.html