MP73point4 wrote:The Prudden Wheel building was part of Motor Wheel. There were/are several other buildings to it that are to the left (north) of the building in your photo. It was quite a large complex at one time.
The Reo plant was on Washington Ave. immediately south of the Grand Trunk main. It went east to Cedar St. and south to Baker St. The Quality Dairy plant that is still rail served is on the corner of Washington and Mt. Hope, a few blocks SW. It is not new construction but rather very old. There is nothing rail served in the new industrial park on the old REO site.
Thanks for the correction on QD; I was under the impression that the warehouse on the old REO site was what was served, but I guess I was wrong.
Anyway, the other buildings in the Motor Wheels complex to the north are long since demolished. North (left in that photo) is parking for the office tenants in the building. In fact, some of the now empty land in the north (other side of May Street) is going to be developed into additional apartments. I believe the plan is to bring in shipping containers along the rail line, and they will be used to build the new apartment complex: Metro Flats, a complex of 200-units. In fact, the future plan is that if this dream of the developer takes off beyond the building, he'll literally ship the container housing units around the country via rail. Construction on the Motor Wheels complex starts either later this year or early next year.
BTW, directly to the west of the existing factory lofts another developer built an apartment complex, Prudden Place. I took some pictures of them back when they were being constructed.
Prudden Place Pan by
NewCityOne, on Flickr
Prudden Place Lofts - Building I by
NewCityOne, on Flickr
Prudden Place and Factory by
NewCityOne, on Flickr