The Gatke Property (Photo by Deb Patterson)

The Gatke Building – as long as I’ve lived in the Warsaw area, it’s been but a bombed-out eyesore.

In its current state it doesn’t serve much use. The building has been deemed unsafe, suffering from years of neglect. No trespassing signs dot its perimeter.

Some photographers seem to favor it as a backdrop, perhaps drawn to its industrial, Rust Belt charm. The Indiana Guard Reserve was allowed to use the facility for search and rescue training last summer. Every now and then police find vagrants in the building, such as in 2011 when Jesse Fugate and Jessica Irene were arrested for manufacturing meth on the premises. However, no profitable industry has occupied the property for many moons.

The Kosciusko County GIS system reports the building, situated on 3.3 acres at 2321 S. McKinley St., Warsaw, was constructed in 1906. “Winona Railroad: An Interesting Part of our Heritage,” states it was originally built as a powerhouse for the Warsaw-Goshen branch of Winona Interurban Railway, which ceased operations in May 1952. But the original 175-feet-tall, eight-foot-wide smokestack stood until 1971.

Gatke Corporation took over the property in 1926. The company produced items like asbestos-related products and brake pads for many years. But production slowed in the 1970s, and closed in 1992. The city of Warsaw has owned the it since 2003 and has struggled to find a new use for the property.

In 2008, a developer approached the Warsaw Redevelopment Committee about converting the property into an office/banquet facility. While the proposal had some support among the committee, it ultimately fell through. A student group from Ball State University, led by Scott Truex, a professor at BSU’s Department of Urban Planning, studied the property as part of an urban planning project in 2013. The study yielded some “pie-in-the-sky” recommendations for use of the property, but, again, nothing came of it.

The property was a topic of discussion at a Warsaw Redevelopment Commission meeting earlier this month. It would seem the city government is beginning to consider demolishing the building, as it seems no developers are interested in renovating the property. Warsaw’s Comprehensive Plan recommends demolition of the building. The prospect of demolition will come before the commission in July.

Sources: yesteryear.clunette.com; Ink Free News; Kosciusko County Beacon GIS; WNDU; www.timesuniononline.com; Gordon Baker