Westinghouse factory

[jeb]

The local paper just had an article about plans for the Westinghouse plant being torn down. It will take more than a year, but they are saving the building with the ballroom and studio were the Westinghouse commercials were made. jeb

 

[washernoob]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

WHY!!!!?!?!?? Thats a bummer.

 

[cfz2882]

indeed...

that is a bummer-i'd recon the plant has been inactive for
some time.

 

[qsd-dan]

What a shame. Another American icon soon to be gone forever.

Hopefully somebody will take some pics before carnage occurs.

 

[appnut]

Oh geez.

 

[rp2813]

Any good signage on the building?

There was an old pre-1930 Westinghouse facility in Emeryville that bit the dust in favor of a gentrificational mixed use master plan that ultimately included Pixar HQ.

The signage on the building was monumental. The lettering was bright yellow in the style shown below, and could easily be seen from across the bay in San Francisco at night.

 

[washernoob]

Then again..... I can see why people want it torn down. Seems like they mistreated this nice building far too long. Would take a lot of money to make it look good again

Hope I dont live to see the day that the hoover factory should come to this fate. :O

 

[rp2813]

It Still Appears to be Worth Saving

I guess until you see a less flattering side.

 

[rp2813]

C & H Sugar

This facility still operates in Crockett, CA. The train goes right by it and up close it is one of the most decrepit buildings I've ever seen. In this shot, it actually doesn't look too bad, but from the train window, it's funkaaaay -- particularly on the smokestack side.

 

[a440]

How sad.
What amazing buildings!
It would be cool to be able to get bricks from the buildings to build an addition to your home or a patio or something.
I wonder how long these huge buildings took to build when they were erected?
Great Pictures!
Brent

 

[washernoob]

A lot of people would do that. Take bricks of an old historic building and build something smaller of it for themselves personally.

They actually did that most in Germany after WWII using bricks from destroyed historic buildings to rebuild them back up.

There is a church in I believe Dresden that you can see the old burned bricks in with the new sand colored ones. They stick out quite well and that is the purpose. Quite unique.

 

[programcomputer]

A happier Time...

Hi, from what I remember this was a photograph of the southeast side of the building in question, from 1954. It's too bad that in 40 years it'd be left for dead, and a rotting hulk of former industrial America.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for posting, Chad.

That signage is a lot like what the Emeryville building had.

Perhaps Mansfield isn't a big enough community to sustain a viable type of adaptive re-use of the building. Around here, it would stand a good chance of being converted into loft living spaces but it would be a huge investment, and probably doesn't pencil out as feasible in a city the size of Mansfield.

Without a historic preservation group coming forward, presenting a workable plan for adaptive re-use, and fighting the expensive and lengthy legal battles to save them, buildings like this don't stand a chance no matter where they're located.

The old west coast flagship store and catalog distribution center for Montgomery Ward in Oakland was reduced to rubble some years ago because there was no workable plan for adaptive re-use even though it was conveniently located by a BART station. Here's a partial shot of it after it had already been empty for many years:

 

[laundromat]

Laundromat

Way back in 1975, I was at a local dairy farm in Mansfield and,when it was time to clean up my bib overalls, I went to the Laundromat that was smack dab in front of the factory.I'll never forget. There was a girl,Mary Lou, who saw I had fallen asleep while waiting for my clothes to dry and she tied my Jack Purcels together so,when I woke up and went to get my dry clothes out of the dryer, I tripped over my laces.My face went right into a dryer and shattered the glass! Most of the guys I saw coming and leaving that factory looked "rugged" and like they were either on a binge or withdraw. You can be sure... if it's Westinghouse.

 

[circlew]

I'm confused by the pictures posted above. According to the news story I read, the buildings scheduled for demolition are between 4th and 5th Sts., and one on the north side of 5th.

The decrepit four-story brick building in reply #6 by Washernoob is obviously at the corner of Orange and some other street. Using Mapquest with airial view, the only corner I could find a building that could be the one shown is at Wayne St. That is across a creek from 5th St. in another block.

The 6-story building pictured in reply #7 by Ralph appears to be a stand-alone structure not joined to any other except by a bridge. This may be a building south of 4th, or one on the north side of 5th, and possibly not involved. The story did say some of the buildings were under different ownership.

In Chad's reply #11 is what looks to be the buildings between 4th and 5th, which all or part of those shown are to be torn down.

Perhaps Jeb can clear this up so we will know just what is what. I would like to see this complex before much of it is gone. It's about a 2.5 - 3 hr. drive for me, so hope I can find the time in the next month or so to visit.

 

[jeb]

Westinghouse building

I think some of the problem is the building in reply 6 is not in Mansfield Ohio, but part of the Mansfield Westinghouse plant is near Orange st. in Mansfield Ohio. CircleW if you do come to Mansfield let me know maybe we could meet up. JEB

 

[washernoob]

Whooooops.

I typed in "westinghouse factory" into google and thats the only relevant picture that came up. Still.... I can imagine that it wont be standing too long as well unfortunately.

 

[programcomputer]

The Westinghouse, Mansfield Complex from above.

Ok,

So form what we've amassed here most of the facotry outlined in red will be demolished. Its the stuff between the train tracks, 4th and 5th streets; and Purdy street.. Possibly a few outbuildings that are sprinkled, (and not visible) above 5th street.

The lower quadrant, outlined in yellow...between said tracks, 4th, 3rd and Dorian Streets are going to be saved?? Is that the nicer portion that the ads were shot in??

Ive marked with a greenish X the out building, also outlined in a whitish color as the spot where the 1954 picture was taken from. Either they were standing on the building, or on a ladder, because that shot wouldn't have been possible from the ground, or at least not easily so.

so whats the newest scoop on this???

 

[moparwash]

Found on the 'net

Slide show from of Mansfield...the plant is at the beginning

http://www.pakistan.tv/videos-mansfield-ohio-%5BAzcsIHtRaHI%5D.cfm