Bantam building fate still up in the air
No decision has been made on fate of the only physical remnant of Butler’s status as the birthplace of the Jeep.
Mark Gordon, the county’s chief of economic development and planning, said one year ago that the crumbling Bantam building, on the former Armco and AK Plant 2 property, now owned by Capital Environmental Risk Transfer Alliance, would be studied to see if it can be saved.
Gordon said earlier this month that CERTA engineers in the summer perused the multistory building, at times using drones because staircases remaining from its heyday are unsafe to use.
He said the stack on the building will have to be removed or reinforced, the roof has been damaged for decades and internal structures such as floors are rotted and rusted.
“So it has seen the elements,” Gordon said.
He said restoring the building would require deep pockets.
“It is a costly endeavor,” Gordon said.
But he hasn’t given up on the building.
“The challenge is trying to work with CERTA to see if they are willing to do any of the capital investments on that building, or if we can get an investor for that building,” Gordon said.
He said an outside investor likely would say it would be cheaper to build a new building than to restore the Bantam building.
“That is why at this point in time, there has not really been a decision,” Gordon said.
Regarding restoration costs, he said the number would depend on the application.
Refurbishing it into a hotel could cost $20 million to $25 million, while an office design could be a little less.
“It really depends upon what the end application would be,” Gordon said.
If the building can be deemed a historical site, Gordon said historical tax credits could be available to someone who is restoring or revamping it.
He said CERTA is working on designs for three prospective new tenants on the former Plant 2 property, where buildings will be built to suit new industrial businesses.
Those prospective tenants are being apprised of the historical significance of the Bantam building and approached about kicking in on its refurbishment.
“We are buying ourselves a little bit of time to see if we can get someone to do something with this building,” Gordon said.
Pat Collins, former director of the Butler County Historical Society, said the structure now known as the Bantam building, served as the Bantam Car Company’s administrative building when the Jeep was developed and originally manufactured in Butler.
Other buildings have been torn down over the years, but the one that housed administrative and design team offices remains.
Collins said the building was erected in 1895 for the Davis Lead Co., sold to the National Lead Co. five years later, and purchased by the Standard Steel Car Co. in 1907.
In the late 1920s, John Hansen bought the building as Pullman Standard entered Butler.
Eventually, Sir Herbert Austin bought the buildings in the complex as headquarters for the American Austin Co., where motorcars licensed from the British Austin Motor Company were manufactured.
Collins said in 1934 or 1935, Austin went bankrupt and a man named Roy Evans bought the complex, made small tweaks to the Austin cars, and manufactured them as Bantam cars as the Bantam Car Co.
It was this company that submitted the successful design to the U.S. Army for a durable, all-purpose vehicle that could be used in World War II.
Gordon said finding tenants for the CERTA property is the highest priority now.
“We are working with prospective businesses and the developer and the Butler County Development Corporation to get those entities in that location,” he said.
