West Bend, WI – The windows and asbestos have been removed and the skeletal remains of the historic cream city brick building, once home to an active West Bend Brewery, are just waiting its fate.
The building is being demolished to make way for more apartments.
Couple tidbits of scuttlebutt from the demolition site:
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- Contractors say the state has yet to give permission for the building to be razed as asbestos is still being removed. Early prediction is it may be another week yet before excavators take a bite out of the exterior.
- The building will be leveled from the north to the south so the tower will be one of the last things torn down.
- Apparently a guy tried to chain himself to the side of the building to save it. Contractors said “it was a young hipster” who made the claim. Questioned how it turned out. “A young hipster contractor said, ‘Dude.. this isn’t going to come down for another two weeks and you’re going to get pretty hungry.’ The guy picked up and left.”
- A cyclone fence was put around the work site because contractors said too many people were coming into the building at night to take things like doors and bricks.
- When the new complex is constructed it will extend to just a couple feet off the riverwalk. Click HERE for a look at the new 181-unit apartment complex.
- Developer HKS has purchased the former ReStore/St. Vincent De Paul building across from the Brewery. Plans are to use that location as a primary office for about two years while construction of the apartments is underway. After that the location will be leveled for parking.
