ST PAUL, Minn. — On Monday, crews finished demolishing the iconic Ford Motor Co. building in St. Paul.
It sat kitty corner from the State Capitol, at Rice Street and University Avenue for more than 100 years. Now its absence is making some people quite emotional, especially those who tried for years to save the building.
"I made a trip over just because I wanted to see what was left of the building," said Chris Kay, who lives nearby. "There's a similar building in Minneapolis, that has been repurposed, you would have thought this one could have been."
It was built back in 1914 as a multi-story plant where Henry Ford launched Model T assembly lines. The building also eventually housed dealerships. There are about 20 other similar buildings across the country in cities, including San Francisco, Atlanta and Seattle.
"It's a tragedy on so many different levels," said local historian and author Brian McMahon, who says the demolition didn't have to happen.
"Most of them have been saved. We're talking, I'm going to guess 18 out of the 20, so this is a real anomaly here," said McMahon, who tried for years to put St. Paul's Ford building on the National Register of Historic Places.
The State of Minnesota owns the space that had sat empty for 20 years. In May 2023, the Department of Administration received authorizing legislation to demolish the building. The next month, project architects filed an application with Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB). It includes construction of tunnel access, green space, public access walkways and parking.
"It's very hard for me to look at the photographs at what other cities have done and realize what a lost opportunity this is," said McMahon, who said the building is a $40 million asset.
As of Monday afternoon, the façade was still standing and we're told some parts of the rubble will be salvaged.
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