The historic Bendix Building in Ronceverte West Virginia is in the process of being torn down.
The tearing down of buildings that have been designated historic are rare events. Unfortunately, there comes a time when a building is too damaged and becomes a risk to public safety.
In the case of the Bendix building, according to the director of the Ronceverte Development Corporation Tammy Rhodes, one of the worst problems was that the roof became badly damaged, began caving in and became dangerous. Another serious concern of town officials was that the building contains asbestos. Due to the poor condition of the building, restoration was no longer possible and the decision had to be made to demolish the building.
The building has been host to many things over the years. This includes Watts Electronics, ABB Analytics, Wholesale Food Distribution, Greenbrier Instruments and of course, the Bendix Corporation. It was donated to the city of Ronceverte by a private individual in 2009 and was later transferred to Ronceverte Development Corp. who maintains ownership, Rhodes said. They have been responsible for all previous restoration projects that have taken place since they took ownership.
Several steps are involved in removing the historic building. The National Guard is in charge of the actual demolition. They are working closely with Reclaim Company, which is a demolition contractor that specializes in the testing for and removal of materials containing asbestos. They are also working with the Greenbrier Environmental Group and the EPA.
This building has been on the list to be taken down for some time. This project, like many others, was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Things are finally back underway and Ms. Rhodes says they hope to have it fully down in a few weeks.
