Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GE to Demolish Office Building on Broadway Campus

Katy Anderson
/
WBOI News

General Electric announced Friday it will demolish one of the buildings on its historic campus near Downtown Fort Wayne.

The structure GE wants to tear down is the office building on the east side of Broadway close to McCulloch Park.

GE spokesman Matt Conkrite said the building was gutted last year because of mold and water damage. In the cleaning process, some of the brickwork was compromised, though the building remains safe.

Still, the company decided it was time for the structure to come down to ensure no chance of danger developed in the future. GE has applied for permits to level the building, which it expects to receive in the next few days.

Conkrite says cleanup continues on other buildings, and there are currently no other plans for demolition on the Broadway campus.

“Up until the point where we announced the closing last year, we were also shutting down buildings and cleaning those out, that were unoccupied,” Conkrite said. “So we’re still in that process right now throughout the campus.”

In a statement, Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry’s office said city officials are aware of the demolition plans, and are in active discussions about the future of the GE property.

“We appreciate GE’s openness and willingness to work with us as we come together to determine how to best utilize a large area of land in an important corridor in our City,” Henry said.

GE says demolition should begin in a few weeks, and take about a month to complete.