South Bend Range Factory, South Bend
Demolition removed a long-vacant and contaminated factory, but the cleared site still needs a public record of the industries, workers, and environmental...
Watchlist Blog
South Bend completes demolition of the former Range factory
The city removed the remaining long-vacant factory structures after environmental work, with another cleanup phase planned before redevelopment.
May 20, 2026
South Bend Range Factory, South Bend
Updated 2026
The Cherry Street factory is gone, closing the physical chapter of a site that produced kitchen ranges, commercial equipment, wartime goods, and metal products for nearly a century.
South Bend announced on May 20 that demolition of the former South Bend Range factory was complete. The $595,000 removal followed public acquisition, decades of vacancy, partial demolition, and a 2025 action that addressed more than 70 deteriorated drums.
The cleared parcel should not be treated as historically empty. From 1907 through the late twentieth century, the site produced domestic and commercial cooking equipment and later supported metal processing and smaller industrial businesses.
For the site's industrial chronology, read South Bend Range Factory, South Bend in the Research Library.
The factory is gone, but the land still carries the history and environmental consequences of what happened there.
What Changed
The city completed the demolition phase begun in January 2026. A second phase planned for later in the year will continue cleanup and remove remaining debris.
What Demolition Does Not Resolve
Clearance addresses dangerous structures but does not by itself resolve contamination, future ownership, reuse, or public memory. The place remains an industrial site even after its most visible evidence has been removed.
What To Watch Next
The next record should capture cleanup results, environmental restrictions, redevelopment solicitations, and whether interpretation or archival documentation accompanies future construction.