Pullman era at end in Michigan City

Demolition started Wednesday, just a day after the City Council voted not to save The Works building.

The structure was formerly owned by Pullman-Standard, a maker of railroad cars with roots in Michigan City dating back to the 1800s.

Some local preservationists wanted the building placed in the city's historic district. But, city officials saw no need to stand in the way of plans to expand the outlet mall.

"They bring in four to five million people into Michigan City a year. I don't think it fits into their plans," said City Councilman Ron Meer.

The community's early beginnings can be traced to Pullman-Standard, originally the Haskell-Barker Car Company founded in 1852, according to historical information provided online by the Michigan City Public Library.

At one point, about 10,000 freight cars rolled out of the plant annually, but in the 1970s, the city's largest employer shut down.

The Works survived a 1973 fire that burned nearly the entire 100-acre Pullman-Standard site. Much of that land is now occupied by the popular outlet mall built in 1989, according to historical records provided by the library. The Works housed several of the mall's retail stores but sat empty for about the past year.

Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets General Manager Chris Juricic said retailers are looking for a more contemporary environment, something The Works no longer provided.

She said future plans for The Works site call for more stores but what those will be are still in the planning stages. "Expansion will come based upon a future timetable as we go."

Michigan City Historical Society Chairman Fred DeVries said there are plenty of other historic structures left, such as nearby Barker Mansion built by John Barker, one of the former owners of the old railroad car factory.

"The old's got to make way for the new to an extent," DeVries said.