Funding an issue in saving Bantam building
Though the fate of the building where Butler’s claim to fame was born remains up in the air, a recent evaluation of the once-vibrant Bantam building found it would take “tens of millions” to refurbish it, according to Mark Gordon, the county’s chief of economic development and planning.
Although all involved agree it is a priceless gem in the county’s history, the engineer hired by CERTA, the Cincinnati company that now owns the large property, discovered the building is in such an advanced state of disrepair that saving the building would require further investigation into funding options, Gordon said.
Gordon said the building housed the offices, research and development department, and a small factory where Jeeps were first conceived and manufactured for use in World War II before the contract went to the Willys Overland Corp. for mass production.
While most all of the buildings on the 29-acre property at the end of Bantam Avenue that was once the Armco and AK Steel stainless processing works have been razed in anticipation for new buildings to be erected, CERTA officials understood and acknowledged the significance of the Bantam building to Butler’s history, Gordon said.
Gordon said CERTA officials are now trying to determine if funding options or historical tax credits would be available, or if an investor interested in the building would consider refurbishing it to suit his use.
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