City construction and health officials will determine what it will take to raze the building on the former Wheatena property at Elizabeth and West Grand avenues.
“It’s time to knock it down,” said City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier. The five-story building is structurally sound but has numerous broken windows, sustained recent storm damage, and is known to have “feet of pigeon droppings,” he said. Pelissier expects the Health Department can find grounds for demolition.
The developer, Matzel & Mumford, had asked the city not to pursue demolition previously so as not to interfere with efforts to acquire the property, Pelissier said. The trustee of the property and the developer have not been able to come to terms for acquisition but he suggested demolition might encourage the two sides to get together. Demolition could cost at least a half-million dollars, he added.
A K. Hovnanian Company, Matzel & Mumford have plans for a 130-unit condo complex at the former Wheatena and Quinn & Boden sites.
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Boo.I hate to see history razed. I mean, I understand it, I just hate it.Was just walking by a little over a week ago one morning and there were several cars in the lot. I was most surprised.Guess they were surveying it for destruction.Again I say boo.
Would be cool to turn this old factory into some sort of art museum or artist's loft or something. Very spacious, lots of light and windows, interesting history, nice sculpture on the logo in the wall.Maybe there's some sort of fund we could tap into to revamp/rezone/redo it, ya know, for art's sake?
Time to take the eyesore down, i say blow it up!!!
blow it up – agreed
Leave it. Would make a beautiful condo building.
What changed since this site reported, on March 18, that a new redevelopment agreement was in the works? I sincerely hope the City isn't doing the developer a "favor" by injecting itself into demolition work at taxpayer expense. I think the taxpayers' have had enough of helping developers.
You are telling US that because of broken windows and pigeon sh*t that they want to knock it down and that it will cost half a million? What kind of scam is that?Oh hey! We just NOW realized the windows are blown out so that means we have to demolish thee entire building. That makes NO sense.
It WAS a beautiful building back in the day. To restore this building's structural integrity after so many years of lack of maintenance and eventual abandonment would probably be prohibitively expensive. How can a developer expect a potential tenant to buy into this (excuse the pun) "White Elephant" knowing of its history. Sad!
But how expensive? More than half a million to clean it up?
I am all for saving the old buildings (live in an over 100yr house) if it's cost effective, but I don't think this is worth saving. It looks like it's ready to fall down. I'm tired of the eyesore, would rather the spot be empty then look at this disgrace.
The quote is that the structure is sound; so no, it's not ready to fall down.What a shame to get rid of yet another historic site…what's next?All it is to City Hall is another Gift to bestow on some politically connected developer who promises to fill someone's reelection/election war chest. That's all it ever is in Rahway.
This would be a travesty to demolish. What incredible potential for artist lofts. To draw artists to Rahway is what this town is aching for with all of its focus and support to develop the downtown Arts District as a "destination". This can't happen without FIRST, attracting the artists to come here to an affordable, supportive place they can create. Its' called "follow the poet". The artists come, create interest and vitality and the cafes and coffee houses and restaurants and creative retail will follow. It happened in Greenwich Village, Soho, Tribeca, Williamsburg, Hoboken and…why not here.Artists need us and we need artists. I hate to see such an uncreative solution by demolishing this building. All it needs is a little bit of vision and passion to continue to develop. Artists don't want to live in these small modern rooms being developed now. They thrive in old, expansive spaces.
Paul I don't think the majority of these people get it..Most designers and artists are living in Brooklyn because it has cheap rent and decent work areas. There is no way average artists are going to be tempted to move to Rahway when the average rent is over 2k a month. It just isn't going to happen. However, they might consider an old larger space to work in and split the cost.This building is expansive and I am sure has huge ceilings and ample space for artists to work. It would be a shame to just knock it down but then again I am not a health inspector or architect guru.
As was established,this is structurally sound. How many places in Europe were in worse condition from bombing during World War Two, but were salvaged? There will be nothing unique left in Rahway if this continues- just building constructed from 1992-2010. Next thing you know, some Philistine will advocate tearing down the Merchants and Drovers Inn because a car crashed into it. I went door to door when I was less than 14 yrs old collecting money for the campaign to save the Inn from being knocked down in the 1960's so a gas station (or something) could go there.In the 1980's,the fate of the vaudville house/movie theatre (now Union County Arts Center)was endangered.Fortunately, in both of THOSE cases, wiser heads prevailed.Both of those structures ENHANCE Rahway and attract people to the town.