New South entrepreneur Daniel Augustus Thompkins (1851-1914) built the Atherton Cotton Mills on this site. Finished in 1893, the mill utilized the latest textile making technology. The textile mill provided a critical boost to the early growth of the adjoining Dilworth neighborhood. Thompkins also built nearby housing for mill workers and a school for their children. A thriving mill village developed in the area.
Today, the Atherton Mill building serves a new role in the South End. The TPSS is wrapped with a photo image of the historic mill building in order to create a unified architectural aesthetic, resembling a separate building that served as a mill office. The art transforms a mundane structure into an object of interest for the community and its visitors.