The name of this extensive complex is associated with the history of the site which originally belonged to the rector of the parish of Lodz. Then, Priest's Mill (Ksiezy Mlyn) was incorporated into the newly-established linen-cotton settlement, called Lodka. In 1870 the grounds were purchased by the city's largest manufacturer, Karol Wilhelm Scheibler, who developped a huge industrial-residential complex here. It comprised a factory, a spinning mill, shops, a school, a hospital, the owners' residence and workers' housing estate. Over the years, as Scheibler purchased new grounds, the whole area he owned exceeded 500 ha, which made one seventh of the whole city size. As most buildings of the Priest's Mill have been preserved till the present day, it is often regarded as one of the most valuable complexes of post-industrial architecture.