Landmark Seneca Falls Machine Co. sells for $185,000

The iconic Seneca Falls Machine Co. industrial building located at 314 Fall St has been sold to Auburn man, Steve Tardibone. On September 4, Tardibone purchased the property for $185,000, according to real estate broker David Young of Seneca Falls. The property has over an impressive 100,000 square feet of heavy manufacturing space and 14,000 square feet of office space. Tardibone intends to use part of the building as storage space and remodel the rest of it to rent out to other parties.

The Seneca Falls Machine Co. property was first put up for sale by Young in 2006. He held viewings for potential buyers who were interested in developing the plant for a variety of purposes — an industrial park, luxury apartments, a distillery, and a national manufacturer, in particular. In January 2017, the Seneca County Code Enforcement Department condemned the oldest section of the building; it was found to be without a working fire suppression system. Otherwise, the building remains in good condition as revealed by the municipal inspection. The building’s structures, including plumbing and electrical systems, heating and air conditioning, and foundation, attic, and roof have been well-maintained over the years. In particular, a borescope, such as the side-view borescope from SPI, was used by building inspectors to make a quick and reliable diagnosis of hard-to-reach areas including wall cavities, water tanks, and pipes, and ceiling and floor voids.

Back in 1867, the Fitchburg Machine Co. of Massachusetts partnered with the S.C. Wright Co. Two years later, they purchased the Lewis Brothers Seneca Falls Manufacturing Co. In 1882, they decided to rename their business the Seneca Falls Machine Co. and move their operations to Seneca Falls. For several years, the plant produced a range of industrial equipment including table saws, scroll saws, and lathe machines that were used in the automobile industry. In 1941, the plant even manufactured artillery shells used by the US military in the second world war. At the height of its productivity, almost 200 workers were employed. In more recent years, the plant was used for specialty machine work. Goulds Pumps, an industrial manufacturing company, also worked out of the building for some time. However, the plant has now been in disuse for a long time and was eventually put on the market by Attila Libertini of Connecticut.

In the present day, the Seneca Falls Machine Co. building didn’t end up being an easy property to sell. Young conducted over 100 showings before he was able to successfully finalize the sale. “The unique specialized nature of the building along with it being a previous heavy manufacturing site made it a challenging property to sell”, said Young. “I wish the new owner success and I can’t wait to see what is to come for the former Machine Shop.” Now in good hands, there’s undoubtedly a bright future ahead for the building.