Demolition crews now turn to Sears building's facade

Under gray skies and drenching rains Thursday morning, construction crews in Camden started to tear away at the facade of the former Sears, Roebuck & Co. store, almost two months after demolition started June 5.

While much of the rear of the structure on the Admiral Wilson Boulevard now lies in a pile of bricks and steel, the front facade and the side facing Memorial Avenue remained largely intact until Thursday.

About 9 a.m., workers from Winzinger Inc. of Hainesport slowly began taking out large chunks of the top of the facade, transforming the front of the building into a skeleton of steel girders.

The site is owned by Campbell Soup Co., which is clearing the area for an office park.

The building was built in 1927 and was home to Sears until 1971, when it closed. For 42 years it has been in progressive deterioration, worsened by a two-alarm fire in December.

Campbell bought the vacant building in June 2012 for $3.5 million. The company, which has headquarters nearby, is planning an office park of 250,000 to 500,000 square feet to attract other businesses. It is not known if any companies have indicated interest.

"We have always believed that the former Sears parcel is critical to having a viable footprint for the office park project," Richard Landers, Campbell vice president of tax and real estate, said when demolition started. "We are pleased to be moving forward with our development plans."

Officials initially said the demolition would take about eight weeks, but Campbell now expects it to be completed by the end of the summer.

Campbell is working with an urban planner on development plans for the site and is marketing it to developers, said Carla Burigatto, a spokeswoman.

She said there was no timetable for when construction would start on the office park.