Mind Drivers
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Tour Mind Drivers Headquarters

Mind Drivers' headquarters is located in a historic 17th century grist mill that has been renovated into a state-of-the-art research center located on an 10-acre campus just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Renovations: Dever Architects.
Photographs by Joe Pulcinella, Jr


Headquarters - The exterior of the Mill building is unimposing, settled into a ten-acre grass and wooded area surrounded by residential developments. The facade, with red shingle siding and balcony railings reminiscent of tree limbs, borrows from the Adirondack-style that the Mill adopted during its use as a social club in the 1920's and 1930's. The grounds contain the original restored 17th-century stone Mill House, a small spring house and a second office building that stands on the foundation of a past storage building. The West branch of the Chester Creek runs between an open field and a gravel drive in front of the building, while a picnic area is nestled in the back.
Entrance - Visitors to the Mill walk over a stone landing area centered on a well-worn 18th-century grindstone once used to grind grain. The center of the grindstone contains the cornerstone for the building, dating the renovation with colored stones representing the position of comet Hyakutake in the sky during the early spring 1996 period when Mind Drivers' Founders first occupied the Mill following extensive renovations.

The entrance itself is composed of two large glass doors that highlight a view of the operating 20-foot mill wheel straight ahead and steel, glass and wood walkways above.

Lobby - The first view upon entering the Mill is of the slowly-turning 20-foot waterwheel ahead and the towering 35-foot rafters above. Before turning up the sweeping stairs to the Reception area, visitors get a close-up view of the wheel, 200 year old millstone and gearing, and 30 feet above, the leather belts and pulleys that ran the sawmill, which was powered by a shaft running vertically from the millstone gearing. This is the original and oldest part of the Mill, with stone walls dating back to the late 1600's.

To the left is a Conference Room featuring a view of the waterwheel plus one of the Mill's four fireplaces.
Reception - Visitors in the winter months are greeted in the Reception area with the warmth from a six foot working fireplace and a top-level view of the waterwheel. The flooring contains hints from the Mill's working past, with 150 year-old rough-hewn cedar giving way to 100 year-old pine. A restoration of the original flume, at eye-level, directs water over the wheel in the overshot fashion utilized through much of the Mill's history.

Log facing on the walls and the tail ends of wooden rafters are a reminder of the Mill's 1920's and 1930's use as a social club for summer visitors who used the tennis courts and gun club that were part of the Mill property.





Mezzanine - With a stunning view of the waterwheel, saw mill gearing and Reception area, the Mezzanine office is worth the twisting climb up the spiral stairs that reach from the creek running through the Tail Race up to the top levels of the Mill.
Water Wheel - The waterwheel is unquestionably the central feature of the Mill. It serves both as a reminder of the Mill's industrial past and as a soothing element in the midst of a high tech environment. The careful balance of the wheel is evident in the small flow of water that is necessary to power its motion. After passing over the wheel the water flows into a small creek that runs through the building and into the West branch of the Chester Creek. The Chester Creek then joins, the Brandywine River, by flowing into the Delaware River on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Tail Race - The Tail Race carries the water, after it flows over the wheel, through the Mill building and out into the West branch of the Chester Creek. The Tail Race is accessible by the lower section of the spiral stair the winds down from the Mezzanine. It lands on a large concrete wheel that leads to stepping stones providing a path across and along the small creek bed. Visitors walking through the Tail Race can look up to see an old wooden axle that likely indicates the relative position of a past undershot waterwheel.