Grain Elevators

Elevators in Minnesota, Missouri, and Kansas City — from working facilities in Savage and Glencoe to demolished and abandoned ADM and Kurth structures in Minneapolis

Grain elevators built from concrete and steel define the agricultural and industrial geography of the Upper Midwest and Mississippi River corridor, from small-town co-ops like the Independent Elevator in Glencoe, Minnesota, to massive export terminals such as the Zen-Noh Grain Corporation facility on the riverbank at Convent, Louisiana.

Minneapolis sits at the center of this set, where a network of mills, silos, and rail spurs along the Mississippi made the city one of the world's leading flour-milling centers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Structures documented here include the abandoned Archer Daniels Midland Delmar Elevator No. 7 in Dinkytown — known locally as United Crushers for the graffiti tag readable from miles away — the ADM Nokomis Flour Mill in South Minneapolis, which closed in mid-2019, and the former Washburn A Grain Elevator, now home to the Mill City Museum. The set also follows demolition activity at the Electric Steel and Kurth Malting complex in Dinkytown, the fire damage sustained by the Harris Machinery building in Prospect Park, and a 2020 art projection onto the Gold Medal Flour silos during a period of civic unrest. Taken together, these locations trace both the physical remnants of grain handling infrastructure and the ongoing negotiation between preservation, redevelopment, and memory in cities shaped by the industry.

ADM Grain Elevator and Harris Machinery Co., MinneapolisView full post: ADM Grain Elevator and Harris Machinery Co., Minneapolis
October 25, 2022 — The aging ADM grain elevator rises over the Harris Machinery Co. building in Minneapolis, a reminder of the city’s long industrial relationship with grain milling and riverfront commerce. These concrete storage silos and metal-clad headhouses were once central to moving Midwestern grain through the milling district, part of an infrastructure network that fueled Minneapolis’s identity as the “Flour Milling Capital of the World.” Harris Machinery Co., a longtime supplier of industrial equipment, occupies the foreground, its brick façade contrasting with the weathered surfaces of the towering elevator. The structures together illustrate the layered industrial history of the city’s working riverfront.
Lafarge cement facility with storage silos and rooftop sign in Green Bay, Wisconsin.View full post: Lafarge Cement Facility, Green Bay
July 18, 2022 — Lafarge operates a cement facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin, part of the company's network of production and distribution sites along the Great Lakes. The site includes storage silos used to hold cement and related materials before shipment. Lafarge, now part of Holcim following a 2015 merger, is one of the largest building materials producers in the world.
Steam from double digit below zero in MinneapolisView full post: The Gold Medal Flour Sign Above the Mississippi River in Minneapolis
January 2, 2022 — The Gold Medal Flour sign sits atop the old Washburn A Mill on the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. Built in 1874 and rebuilt in 1880 after an explosion destroyed the original structure, the mill produced flour for the Washburn Crosby Company, later absorbed into General Mills in 1928. It closed in 1965 and reopened in 2003 as the Mill City Museum.
Lit up water tower and pillsbury neon signView full post: Pillsbury’s Best Flour and the lit up water tower
July 25, 2021 — The former Pillsbury flour mill near downtown Minneapolis. It's since been renovated into condos.
Projection on Gold Medal Flour elevators in Minneapolis, with people gathered in Gold Medal Park.View full post: “Revolution Will Be Televised” Projection on Gold Medal Flour Elevators
June 10, 2020 — A projection titled "Revolution Will Be Televised" illuminates the historic Gold Medal Flour grain elevators in downtown Minneapolis. The art installation, displayed on the concrete silos, features text recounting historical events related to police actions and social justice, resonating with themes from the Minneapolis Uprising. Viewers gather in Gold Medal Park, a public green space adjacent to the former industrial complex, to observe the temporary display. The Gold Medal Flour complex, once a major industrial site, represents Minneapolis's milling history and now stands as a prominent landmark in the city's riverfront district.
Zen-Noh Grain Corporation terminal in Convent, Louisiana, with illuminated grain silos at night.View full post: Zen-Noh Grain Terminal at Convent, Louisiana
December 9, 2019 — Zen-Noh Grain Corporation terminal in Convent, Louisiana. The Mississippi River facility stores and transfers grain for export through the Gulf Coast, handling agricultural commodities from the U.S. interior.
Hansen-Mueller grain elevator complex in Superior, Wisconsin, with concrete silos and historic brick structures beside railroadView full post: Hansen-Mueller Grain Elevator Complex, Superior, Wisconsin
July 27, 2019 — Hansen-Mueller Co., a grain merchandiser headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, operates this elevator complex along the Superior, Wisconsin waterfront. The facility stores wheat, corn, soybeans, and other grain shipped in by rail from farms across the upper Midwest before it's loaded onto lake freighters bound for ports on the Great Lakes and beyond. Superior's deepwater harbor, connected to the Atlantic via the St. Lawrence Seaway, has made it a key transfer point for agricultural exports since the early 20th century.
Tracks at Archer Daniels Midland ElevatorView full post: Tracks at Archer Daniels Midland Elevator
July 24, 2019 — Train tracks outside the long abandoned massive concrete Archer-Daniels-Midland Delmar Elevator No. 7 in Minneapolis. Known locally as the "United Crushers" mill after the large tag visible from miles away.
Archer Daniels Midland Delmar Elevator No 7View full post: Archer Daniels-Midland Delmar Elevator No 7
July 24, 2019 — The long abandoned massive concrete Archer-Daniels-Midland Delmar Elevator No. 7 in Minneapolis. Known locally as the "United Crushers" mill after the large tag visible from miles away.
Abandoned grain elevator complex with weathered concrete silos and machinery in Kansas City, Missouri.View full post: Weathered Grain Elevators Along Kansas City’s Riverfront
April 7, 2019 — Kansas City's riverfront grain elevators grew up alongside the Missouri River and the rail lines that once made the city one of the country's busiest grain markets, second only to Chicago by the early 20th century.
Northeast Minneapolis riverfront at night with illuminated Pillsbury A Mill and US Bank Stadium visible across the Mississippi River.View full post: Pink-Lit Trees on St. Anthony Main Near US Bank Stadium
November 6, 2018 — US Bank Stadium, a multi-purpose venue completed in 2016, is visible across the Mississippi River from Northeast Minneapolis. In the foreground, the historic Pillsbury A Mill, once the largest flour mill in the world, stands as a reminder of the area's industrial past.
The Mill City Museum, housed in the former Washburn "A" Grain Elevator in Minneapolis, preserves the history of the city's flour milling industry.View full post: Gold Medal Flour Grain Elevator, Mill City Museum, Minneapolis
November 5, 2018 — The Mill City Museum in Minneapolis is housed in the former Washburn "A" Grain Elevator, a structure that was once the largest flour mill in the world. The museum preserves and interprets the history of the mill and the city's flour milling industry, which was central to Minneapolis's development. The grain elevator, built in 1880, is a prominent example of industrial architecture from the era. Today, the museum offers exhibits on the milling process, the lives of mill workers, and the impact of the industry on the city's growth and identity.
The Gold Medal Flour neon sign illuminates a historic grain elevator in downtown Minneapolis, a reminder of the city's industrial past.View full post: Gold Medal Flour Neon Sign, Downtown Minneapolis
November 5, 2018 — The "Gold Medal Flour" neon sign stands atop a historic grain elevator in downtown Minneapolis.
Harris Machinery and Grain ElevatorView full post: Harris Machinery and Grain Elevator
March 28, 2018 — Night photo of the back of Harris Machinery and a grain elevator in the distance.
Illuminated concrete grain elevators flank an earthen mound near Dinkytown, Minneapolis.View full post: Concrete Grain Elevators Near Dinkytown, Minneapolis
March 28, 2018 — Abandoned concrete grain elevators in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Concrete grain elevators of the Peavey terminal rise against the night sky in Superior, Wisconsin.View full post: Peavey Grain Terminal, Superior, Wisconsin
October 21, 2017 — The Peavey Company, founded by Frank H. Peavey in the late 1800s, grew into one of the largest grain trading and storage operations in the United States. Superior, Wisconsin, sits at the westernmost point of Lake Superior and developed into a major grain-shipping port in the early 20th century, linking Midwest wheat farms to Great Lakes freighter traffic. Concrete elevators like this one were built to store grain in bulk before loading onto ships bound for mills and markets farther east. The Twin Ports of Superior and Duluth once ranked among the busiest grain-handling centers on the Great Lakes.
Steel grain storage tanks at a Peavey elevator complex in Superior, Wisconsin, with an industrial structure visible between them.View full post: Grain Elevator Storage Tanks at Peavey, Superior, Wisconsin
October 21, 2017 — This grain storage complex sits along the Superior, Wisconsin waterfront on Lake Superior's Twin Ports. The Peavey Company operated grain elevators here to store wheat and other grain shipped by rail from the northern plains for transfer onto lake freighters.
CHS Grain Elevators, Superior, WisconsinView full post: CHS Grain Elevators in Superior, Wisconsin
October 20, 2017 — CHS grain elevators in Superior, Wisconsin, stand along a waterway in the Port of Duluth-Superior. The facility is part of the harbor's grain-handling and bulk shipping infrastructure on the western end of Lake Superior.
CHS grain elevators illuminated at night along Lake Superior's western shore in Superior, Wisconsin.View full post: CHS Grain Elevators at Night in Superior
October 20, 2017 — CHS Grain Elevators in Superior, Wisconsin, are part of the Port of Superior’s grain-handling facilities. The complex stores and transfers grain for shipment by rail and vessel on the western shore of Lake Superior.
Tall brick grain elevator with metal fire escape and blue utility pipe against clear sky in Minneapolis.View full post: Straight Up the Brick Face of Viterra’s Grain Elevator
September 17, 2017 — Viterra operates this grain elevator in Minneapolis, a concrete and brick structure used to store grain before it moves out by rail. A caged metal ladder and a utility pipe run the full height of the wall, servicing the tower's upper equipment.
Caged metal ladder and walkway system on the exterior of a Viterra grain elevator in Minneapolis.View full post: A Caged Exterior Ladder on Viterra’s Grain Elevator
September 17, 2017 — A caged ladder climbs the exterior wall of the Viterra grain elevator in Minneapolis, rising toward a platform near the roofline. The circular hoops around the rungs are a standard safety guard meant to keep a climber from falling backward on the long vertical run.
Loading dock door at Viterra grain elevator in Minneapolis displaying "Private Property" and "Flammable Materials" warning signs.View full post: Warning Signs on a Loading Dock Door at Viterra’s Grain Elevator
September 17, 2017 — This locked double door sits on a loading dock at a grain elevator Viterra operates in Minneapolis. Viterra is a global grain handling company that stores, processes, and ships grain for export.
Viterra grain elevator safety cage and platform with blue metal framework and ladder against clear sky in Minneapolis.View full post: Safety Cage and Landing on the Viterra Grain Elevator
September 17, 2017 — This safety cage and landing are part of the Viterra grain elevator in Minneapolis, a facility along the Mississippi River used for storing and loading grain. The caged ladder gives workers a protected climb between platforms on the structure's exterior.
Barred window with white trim set in bright turquoise wall of Viterra grain elevator in Northeast Minneapolis.View full post: A Barred Window in the Turquoise Wall at Viterra
September 17, 2017 — Viterra runs a grain elevator complex in Northeast Minneapolis, part of the storage terminals that grew up near the city's old flour milling district. The window's iron security bars and worn wood frame point to the building's industrial age.
Turquoise steel loading frame and metal roll-up door at Viterra's grain elevator rail dock in Minneapolis.View full post: Rail Tracks Leading to a Closed Loading Bay at Viterra’s Elevator
September 17, 2017 — Viterra operates this grain elevator and rail dock in Minneapolis. A narrow gauge rail spur runs beneath the turquoise steel loading frame, where hopper cars once positioned themselves under the elevator for grain transfer through the now closed roll up door.
Window 16 on the Viterra grain elevator in Minneapolis features a barred window with white frame and number 16 graffiti on turquoise wall.View full post: Window No. 16 on the Viterra Grain Elevator’s Turquoise Wall
September 17, 2017 — Viterra operates a grain elevator in Minneapolis, part of a global agribusiness network handling grain storage and shipping.
Viterra grain elevator with turquoise metal tower and mustard seed storage facility in Northeast Minneapolis.View full post: Viterra Sign Atop the Grain Elevator Tower
September 17, 2017 — Viterra facility in Northeast Minneapolis. The elevator stores mustard seed and has been operating since the 1920s.
Construction site at night on the former Kurth Malting grain elevator grounds in Dinkytown, Minneapolis.View full post: Kurth Malting Site Redevelopment, Dinkytown Minneapolis
September 6, 2017 — This construction site in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, sits on the former grounds of the Kurth Malting Company grain elevator. The elevator complex was demolished to clear land for a University of Minnesota athletic facility. Concrete silos from the adjacent Archer Daniels Midland elevator remain standing near the cleared parcel.
Railroad tracks lead to a General Mills grain elevator and freight train at night in Minneapolis.View full post: Rail Tracks at General Mills Grain Elevator, Minneapolis
September 2, 2017 — A General Mills grain elevator complex sits along active rail lines in Minneapolis. General Mills, headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, operates grain milling and food production facilities across the Minneapolis area. Rail spurs connect the elevator to the wider freight network, including Canadian National and other North American carriers, for shipping grain and finished products.
ADM Nokomis Flour Mill complex in South Minneapolis at night, featuring illuminated grain silos and brick mill buildings adjacent to railroad tracks.View full post: ADM Nokomis Mill Silos at Night Along the Rail Line
September 2, 2017 — ADM Nokomis Flour Mill in South Minneapolis was an Archer Daniels Midland grain-processing facility. The complex includes mill buildings, grain silos, and rail access for moving grain and flour. The mill closed in mid-2019.
Grain elevator with multiple storage silos in Savage, Minnesota.View full post: Grain elevator and storage silos in Savage, Minnesota
June 25, 2017 — This grain elevator and storage facility in Savage, Minnesota includes multiple cylindrical silos for bulk storage and processing. The complex combines cream-colored concrete storage structures with a blue-framed processing building and additional tan silos for handling and distribution. The facility represents the type of agricultural infrastructure common to Minnesota's grain handling and milling operations.
Demolition equipment at the Electric Steel and Kurth Malting grain elevator complex in Minneapolis's Dinkytown area.View full post: Electric Steel and Kurth Grain Elevators Demolition, Minneapolis
June 16, 2017 — The Electric Steel and Kurth Malting grain elevator complex in Minneapolis's Dinkytown area being demolished in June 2017.
Minneapolis skyline and the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River.View full post: Minneapolis skyline from the Stone Arch Bridge
June 7, 2017 — Minneapolis skyline and the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The former railroad bridge spans St. Anthony Falls and is part of the Mill Ruins Park area.
Abandoned brick laboratory building of the former Archer Daniels Midland grain elevator complex in Minneapolis.View full post: Stone Lab building in Minneapolis
February 21, 2017 — The Stone Lab building at 421 29th Ave SE was once used by the University of Minnesota for environmental health research.
Concrete grain silos of the Archer Daniels Midland elevator in Southeast Minneapolis at night.View full post: The ADM Grain Elevator in Southeast Minneapolis
February 21, 2017 — The Archer Daniels Midland grain elevator stands in Southeast Minneapolis near the Mississippi River. Its concrete silos are built in a cylindrical design common to grain elevators raised in the mid twentieth century to hold large volumes of grain for milling and export.
Weathered concrete grain elevator silos with operational headhouse and connecting conveyor system in Omaha, Nebraska.View full post: Weathered Silos at an Omaha Grain Elevator Complex
February 20, 2017 — This is a concrete grain elevator complex in Omaha, built with the cylindrical silo design common to grain terminals of the early to mid twentieth century. A headhouse tops the tallest silo, where conveyors once moved grain between storage bins before loading it onto rail cars. The complex no longer operates, but the silos still stand along the rail line that once served it.
Paved South Omaha Trail runs past concrete grain silos with colorful graffiti murals at their base in Omaha, Nebraska.View full post: Painted Silo Murals Along the South Omaha Trail
February 19, 2017 — Grain elevator silos like these once stored corn and soybeans shipped through Omaha's rail and river networks, a trade that shaped the city's South Omaha industrial corridor through much of the 20th century.
Concrete grain silos connected by an elevated enclosed walkway at a grain elevator complex in Omaha, Nebraska.View full post: Concrete Grain Silos and Elevated Walkway, Omaha, Nebraska
February 19, 2017 — This grain elevator complex is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The structure consists of multiple reinforced concrete silos connected by an elevated enclosed walkway.
Concrete grain elevator complex with silos and headhouse during demolition in Dinkytown, Minneapolis.View full post: Dinkytown Grain Elevator Complex Under Demolition, Minneapolis
February 12, 2017 — Demolition of grain elevators in Minneapolis taking place in February 2017.
Abandoned Electric Steel grain elevator rooftop in Minneapolis with large storage tanks and downtown skyline at sunset.View full post: Grain Bins at the Electric Steel Elevator With Downtown Minneapolis Beyond
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a grain storage complex in Minneapolis, with rows of round steel bins topped by a corrugated metal shed.
Abandoned Electric Steel grain elevator interior in Minneapolis with rusted machinery, conveyor systems, and red exit sign.View full post: Exit Door and Conveyor Gallery at Electric Steel Elevator
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a grain elevator complex in Minneapolis, with a long conveyor gallery once used to move grain between storage and processing points. Steel doors, ladders, and warning signs like "Hearing Protection Must Be Worn in This Area" remain from its working days along the elevator's interior walkways.
View from inside an abandoned Minneapolis grain elevator looking out at storage tanks and the city skyline at sunset.View full post: View of Grain Tanks Through a Broken Window at Electric Steel Elevator
October 23, 2016 — The downtown Minneapolis skyline and surrounding neighborhoods lie beyond the tanks.
Interior of the Electric Steel Grain Elevator in Minneapolis showing weathered conveyor systems and industrial machinery beneath a metal-beam ceiling.View full post: Conveyor Belt and Rollers Inside Electric Steel Elevator in Minneapolis
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a former grain elevator in Minneapolis, built to store and load grain for shipment by rail. Inside, a long conveyor belt runs above a line of steel rollers that once moved grain through the building to waiting railcars.
Minneapolis skyline at sunset viewed through an abandoned industrial building's window frame.View full post: Downtown Minneapolis Skyline at Sunset from the Electric Steel Elevator
October 23, 2016 — The downtown Minneapolis skyline from the Electric Steel Elevator, a decommissioned grain elevator in the Prospect Park neighborhood near the University of Minnesota. TCF Bank Stadium, home to University of Minnesota football since 2009, sits between the elevator and downtown.
View from inside the abandoned Electric Steel Grain Elevator in Minneapolis looking out over railroad yards.View full post: Rail Yard View Through a Window at Electric Steel Elevator
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a former grain elevator in Minneapolis, built for storing and loading grain before shipment by rail.
Abandoned warehouse interior with steel conveyor systems and industrial machinery lit by windows.View full post: Conveyor Belt Inside the Electric Steel Elevator in Minneapolis
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a grain elevator in Minneapolis along the Mississippi River. A long conveyor runs the length of the interior on a steel frame, once used to move grain through the structure.
Interior of the abandoned Electric Steel grain elevator in Minneapolis, showing rusted industrial machinery and equipment.View full post: Inside the Electric Steel Elevator in Minneapolis
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a disused grain elevator in Minneapolis. Inside, rusted steel framing supports hoppers, chutes, and ductwork once used to move and clean grain before storage.
Interior of the Electric Steel grain elevator in Minneapolis showing a rusted conveyor belt and corrugated metal structural framework.View full post: Conveyor Gallery Inside the Electric Steel Elevator in Minneapolis
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a grain elevator complex in Minneapolis. This enclosed gallery carries a conveyor belt between sections of the structure.
Interior of Electric Steel grain elevator in Minneapolis showing a long conveyor belt beneath industrial metal framework and corrugated walls.View full post: Conveyor Tunnel Inside the Electric Steel Elevator in Minneapolis
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a grain elevator in Minneapolis. A conveyor belt runs through an enclosed tunnel that carries grain between the storage bins and the head house.
Interior of Electric Steel grain elevator in Minneapolis showing industrial pipes, metal infrastructure, and exit signage.View full post: Danger Sign Near the Steel Tanks at Electric Steel Elevator
October 23, 2016 — The Electric Steel Elevator is a former grain elevator complex in Minneapolis, built along the rail lines that once served the city's milling district. Inside, steel storage tanks connect to a network of conveyor pipes and chutes that moved grain between the bins and the head house.
Abandoned ADM grain elevator complex in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, with "UNITED CRUSHERS" branding on silos.View full post: Abandoned ADM Grain Elevator, Dinkytown, Minneapolis
April 12, 2016 — The abandoned ADM grain elevator complex in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, stands as a relic of the city's industrial past. Originally part of the Pillsbury Company's operations, these concrete silos were constructed to store and process grain.
The ADM Grain Elevator and Harris Machinery buildings in Minneapolis's Prospect Park show fire damage and ice accumulation. The ADM silos are marked "CRUSHERS".View full post: ADM Grain Elevator and Harris Machinery Fire Damage, Prospect Park, Minneapolis
January 18, 2016 — The ADM Grain Elevator and Harris Machinery buildings in Prospect Park, Minneapolis, show extensive ice and snow accumulation following a significant fire. The fire gutted the interior of the Harris Machinery structure, leaving its exterior heavily damaged and encased in ice.
BNSF freight cars parked beside Hansen-Mueller Grain Elevator in snow-covered Superior, Wisconsin.View full post: BNSF Hopper Cars at the Hansen-Mueller Grain Elevator in Superior
February 16, 2015 — Hansen-Mueller Grain Elevator in Superior, Wisconsin, is a grain storage and transfer facility on Superior Bay. BNSF freight cars move commodities through the complex by rail for shipment to regional and export markets.
The Independent Elevator, a grain storage facility, stands in Glencoe, MinnesotaView full post: Independent Elevator in Glencoe, Minnesota
July 2, 2014 — The Independent Elevator, located in Glencoe, Minnesota, stands as a testament to the region's agricultural heritage.
United Crushers grain elevator stands beside the University of Minnesota Transitway in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis.View full post: United Crushers Elevator Along the Transitway, Minneapolis
September 5, 2012 — The University of Minnesota Transitway runs along the East Bank corridor in Minneapolis, carrying university and Metro Transit buses between the Twin Cities campuses.

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