Column: Relief, excitement that Drewrys brewery eyesore will —finally — come down
When I spoke with Johnny Martinez a year ago, the retiree conveyed the frustration and concern he felt when encountering a certain eyesore during his daily walk with his dog, Rosie, in South Bend's Muessel Grove Park.
But the recent news that said eyesore — the former Drewrys brewery complex — was scheduled for demolition this fall put him in a different mood. "In fact, I was doing cartwheels when I heard it," said Martinez, who lives a block away.
His past frustration is understandable. The sprawling site at 1408 Elwood Ave. on South Bend's northwest side has festered for years. The torn fence, the piles of debris, the "DANGER" sign that warns of asbestos that "may cause cancer," are a testament to inertia, misplaced priorities and neglect.
"How much longer is the city of South Bend going to allow an out-of-state owner to neglect this eyesore," Martinez wrote in a letter to the editor published in The Tribune last year.
Eyesores: South Bend allots nearly 10 times usual budget to demolish city's 'worst eyesores'
Drewrys is one of three vacant commercial buildings Mayor James Mueller called "some of the worst eyesores in South Bend" in his State of the City address. The budget for 2022 allots $4.2 million to tear down these structures.
Some of Drewry's red brick buildings are more than a century old, and most of the complex has remained unused since the brewery closed in 1972.
In recent years, as city officials and ownership have gone back and forth, pointing fingers and arguing over who is responsible, those who live in the area have been caught in the middle.
As another resident told me for a column last year, the lack of action sent a message that residents of the neighborhood surrounding Drewrys "don't count."
Becky Kaiser, whose voice was weary when she said that, sounds a bit different these days when she talks about the Drewrys site. "I'm excited. How could this neighborhood not be excited?"
How excited? Kaiser, whose brother lives across the street from the site, knows where she'll be when the demolition begins. "I sent over a picnic table and chairs so we can sit there and drink iced tea and watch as it comes down."
All of those good feelings are tempered a bit by the reality that the long-awaited action isn't the end of the problem. Kaiser is hopeful that city leaders will follow thru by working with residents and acting on a plan for the area. But, says the woman who estimates she's been focused on this problem for about a decade, patience will be required. "It's not going to happen overnight."
She's right: Answers for what comes next after the old Drewry's complex is demolished won't magically appear. But the city should make working with residents to create a vision — and following through to make it a reality — a priority. The people who live in the area have waited long enough.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Drewrys site, one of worst eyesores in South Bend, set for demolition.
