[Newspaper]
Publication: The Muncie Evening Press
Muncie, IN, United States
vol. 81, no. 23, p. 24, col. 3
Sheller Globe
hopes to sell old
glass plant here
By JOAN D. LaGUARDIA
Evening Press staff reporter
Negotiations are under way by Sheller-Globe officials in Toledo, Ohio, for sale of the Macedonia Avenue buildings that formerly housed the Owens-Illinois glass factory here.
Leonard Devenow, Sheller-Globe’s director of materials, said the prospective buyer is not a Muncie area company, but declined to give any additional information until a sale agreement finalized, probably in 30 to 60 days.
Used as a warehouse for Sheller-Globe’s Union City plant, the Muncie property includes the former Hemingray Glass office building, a two-story brick structure with about 2,400 square feet on each floor. It also includes the office building occupied by The American Press printing company north of the Hemingray building and a large warehouse area west of the office buildings.
Robert Stephenson, owner of the printing company, declined to comment today on the possible sale of the property he now leases from Sheller-Globe.
Sheller Globe offered United Way of Delaware County free use of the buildings, and the offer was discussed at Monday’s United Way board meeting. Tuesday, however, United Way officials were told that Sheller-Globe was apparently withdrawing its offer, according to Ben Delk, United Way board president.
United Way is interested in finding new offices because of the need for expansion of Family Services, a United Way agency, now housed on the upper floor of the United Way building on East Washington Street.
Delk said he understands that an out-of-town buyer is interested in the Macedonia property for speculation.
He said he is pleased Sheller-Globe made the offer to United Way and added that the United Way board was wise to study the offer. “I don’t think we were dragging our feet,” he said. “I’m not terribly disappointed because there’s some good that could come from this. Maybe these people will cause something great to happen for Muncie and Delaware County.”
He said Sheller-Globe pays almost [dollar:$17,000] a year in taxes on the property, and he would like to see the property remain on the tax rolls. Had United Way acquired the property, it would not have been taxable.
As for United Way’s search for a new site, he said, “We may have to look at doing some renovation to the building we’re in.” Family Services, which needs about 3,000 square feet office space to meet growing client loads, may look for a separate location.
Sheller-Globe acquired the Macedonia property in the mid 1970s. Owens-Illinois closed its Muncie plant in July 1972. It had 337 employees at the time.
Hemingray Glass began in Cincinnati in 1848, later located in Covington, Ky., and moved to Muncie in 1888. It became a division of Owens-Illinois in 1933. It manufactured glass block and Hemingray glass insulators used by the communications industry.