West Haven mayor kicks off Buckle Co. building demolition
By Mark Zaretsky, New Haven Register, Conn. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
West
It opened in 1843 in
But while the name and product line still exist as part of
Condemned in 1996, it is about to come down, with the help of a
On Tuesday morning, after a brief walk around the building, looking in at its ancient brick forge through the one non-boarded-up window, O'Brien took a ceremonial sledgehammer to the building -- several times -- although additional paperwork related to insurance still must be filed before actual demolition can begin.
For the most part -- on Tuesday, at least -- the building appeared to come out on top in the encounter, although the mayor did manage to loosen a chip on his final whack.
"I grew up listening to this thing -- like 24 hours a day ... banging, like a stamping machine," recalled O'Brien, who as a kid lived a few blocks away from the West Haven Buckle Shop, known in later years as the
But at this point, knocking it down means "getting rid of a vacant building that's been vacant for a long time," O'Brien said.
"I think the building's just too far gone," he said.
O'Brien expressed the hope that by taking down the dilapidated structure, the city, which owns the property, can market it "for some useful purpose."
The city took control of the property in 2001 after a company bought a tax lien for the property, discovered environmental issues, and turned it over to the city, Assistant Corporation Counsel
The original company went out of business in 1993.
"I was in there once and it was pretty fragile and pretty precarious, and we were very careful where we walked," Purmont said. "It's sad to see it go."
The building "is reflective of that old industry that used to be here," Purmont said.
West Haven Buckle's early success under
"That put
The decision to knock it down now -- just over a year after former Mayor
Despite its age, the building is not on the state historic registry and therefore does not have to be preserved, Picard said when he announced plans to demolish the building last year.
The demolition contract with AAIS of
AAIS will wet down the building and debris as it's demolished to prevent asbestos from becoming airborne and will have an air monitor on-site throughout the process, said Vice President and General Manager
The state permits are now in place, but "there's some technical paperwork with the city that still needs to be worked out," Reilly said.
Not everyone will be thrilled to see the building go.
"I would have put art studios in there" and maybe opened up the side of the building that faces away from the street and installed building-length glass windows.
"Had
"It's sad because it's such a nice old building," Ulrich said. "But it's pretty trashed inside. ... I guess it's just too far gone. ... If this was
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