HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The old Eaton facility along East 4th Avenue has been sold. According to Debra Teufel of the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce, the building went on the auction block in an online format April 22.
A group of investors from New Jersey have taken ownership of the facility for $765,500. Realtor J.P. Weigand in Wichita said the name of the investors will not be disclosed until the purchase of the building closes according to Teufel. That is expected by the end of the month. Teufel says she looks forward to working with the company to make the building useful again. The building had been listed on the realtor’s web site at a price of $3-million 389-thousand but there were no takers.
The building has more than 247-thousand square feet of manufacturing space and a total building area of nearly 307-thousand square feet including office space and a cafeteria area.
Eaton shut down the plant in October of 2017. The company originally announced it would close the plant in 2006, but a large infusion of cash incentives kept the building open.
Still, the plant cut its local workforce from 435 to just 300 at the time. Over the next 10 years, the workforce was further reduced to just 100 employees when the company closed the facility for good.