EPA begins asbestos removal at South Bend's blighted Drewrys Brewery site

Jordan Smith, South Bend Tribune
·3 min read
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A heap of twisted metal sits among overgrown vegetation at the former Drewrys Brewery site at 1408 Elwood Ave. on Aug. 18, 2023. A concrete smokestack that rises more than 150 feet on the site's north side is likely to be all that's left standing.
A heap of twisted metal sits among overgrown vegetation at the former Drewrys Brewery site at 1408 Elwood Ave. on Aug. 18, 2023. A concrete smokestack that rises more than 150 feet on the site's north side is likely to be all that's left standing.

SOUTH BEND ― Bulldozers amid the ruins of the former Drewrys Brewery complex are evidence that long-awaited efforts have begun to remove asbestos remnants on the grounds.

The Environmental Protection Agency this month began a $1.7 million effort to clean up the site before its eventual demolition and redevelopment, EPA project manager Kevin Turner said. The EPA has agreed to remove 14,000 tons of demolition debris that may be contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogenic mineral found in old building materials.

“If the previous property owner had not irresponsibly demolished the existing structures without remediating the asbestos inside, this cleanup would be relatively straightforward,” Caleb Bauer, South Bend’s executive director of community investment, said in a statement. “Instead, we’re forced to treat at least 14,000 tons of demolition debris as asbestos-containing.”

Editorial: A cleanup plan at Drewrys site — finally

Turner said his goal is to complete the remediation by Thanksgiving. Along with cleaning up asbestos, a crew is collecting metal drums full of uncertain liquids and dozens of paint cans, Turner said. The EPA will also assess whether underground storage tanks at the site must be removed.

What became the Drewrys Brewery building at 1408 Elwood Ave. was built in 1868, years after German immigrant Christoph Muessel founded Muessel Brewery in South Bend. Distribution of Drewrys lagers' peaked in the 1960s, when hundreds of South Benders worked at the facility.

A worker wearing personal protective equipment cleans out an old brick building at the Drewrys Brewery complex at 1408 Elwood Ave. Work to remove asbestos from the site began this month.
A worker wearing personal protective equipment cleans out an old brick building at the Drewrys Brewery complex at 1408 Elwood Ave. Work to remove asbestos from the site began this month.

But operations abruptly ceased in 1972 as a few large brewers came to dominate the beer market. The site was later redeveloped for industrial use by OmniPlex. But by 2014, many of the old buildings were decrepit.

In May 2022, following years of inertia, the city received the 14.7-acre parcel on the city’s northwest side, after Phoenix-based Steve Durkee failed to pay off back taxes. The city filed a lawsuit in August that year asking the court to void any claims past owners might have to the property. A judge granted the request in December, court records show.

Conducting tests at the site, Heartland Environmental Associates has found limited contaminants in shallow soils, according to reports filed to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

But once demolition and cleanup finishes, the site will be clear for future redevelopment, according to the city. The only structure likely to remain standing is a concrete smokestack that rises more than 150 feet above Elwood Avenue.

A building at the previous Drewrys Brewery complex that remains standing on Aug. 18, 2023. The EPA will remove more than 14,000 tons of demolition debris.
A building at the previous Drewrys Brewery complex that remains standing on Aug. 18, 2023. The EPA will remove more than 14,000 tons of demolition debris.

The city set aside $4.17 million from the American Rescue Plan to pay for the demolition of large commercial buildings, according to South Bend Mayor James Mueller.

Last summer, the city paid to demolish the South Bend Brewing Association, much to the dismay of historic preservationists. Turner says he led EPA work last year to remove asbestos from the fire-ravaged Wilson Brothers Shirt Co. factory on Sample Street.

City data lists 75 properties with active demolition orders across South Bend. Many are small properties scattered in neighborhoods on the west and southeast sides.

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: EPA removing asbestos at blighted South Bend Drewrys Brewery site