Crews begin demolition on General Electric building

On Friday, Brandenburg Industrial Service crews began the demolition of one of the General Electric buildings along Broadway and next to McCulloch Park.

After being a major employer in Fort Wayne for more than a century and employing 10,000 at one time, the building is part of the GE campus which closed for good in 2014.

GE spokesman Matt Conkrite said demolition will continue for a few weeks and should be completed in about a month.

Last year, this building had been gutted due to extensive water and mold damage to the interior. In the process of cleaning out the nonloadbearing internal structures, the restraints on some exterior brickwork were temporarily compromised. No danger exists today. However, all buildings are subject to the effects of weather and atmospheric changes. So the cleaning efforts on this building have accelerated the need to bring it down, Conkrite wrote in the announcement.

Once the building's faade is removed, the building frame will be gradually taken down with special hydraulic equipment designed for minimal impact to the surrounding area. As a precaution, temporary lane closures on Broadway may occur during this process.

GE is actively discussing future options with the city of Fort Wayne regarding the property, Conkrite wrote.

After the company announced plans to demolish the building, Mayor Tom Henry said the city has appreciated GE's openness and willingness to work with the city to determine how to best utilize a large area of land in an important corridor of the city.

I'm encouraged that we're in position to work collaboratively with GE to develop a viable plan for the property as we invest in the future and build on the momentum we're experiencing in our community, he said.

There are no plans at this time to demolish any of the other 12 buildings on the 32-acre the site, he said.

It's not clear the fate of the other buildings on the campus, including the huge former manufacturing plant on the west side of Broadway. The company is in discussions with Fort Wayne officials to determine the future of the property. The building being torn down was built in 1911. Some buildings on the GE campus were there in the 1880s.

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Crews begin demolition on General Electric building