Longworth Hall, a historic railroad freight warehouse in Cincinnati, is now shorter than it was for most of its history. About 210 feet of the world’s longest buildings has been removed to make way for a new bridge over the Ohio River.The demolition is part of the Brent Spence companion bridge project. According to NPR, work on the new bridge officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony in May, and the removal of part of Longworth Hall has been one of the first visible changes linked to the project.The historic building at 700 W Pete Rose Way was completed in 1904 by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as a warehouse for rail freight. At the time, it was 1,227 feet long and was described as one of the longest buildings in the world.Most of Longworth Hall will remain standing, however. The section being removed is largely an addition constructed in the 1960s. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, contractors took about six months to remove roughly one-fifth of the building. A time-lapse video also shows the demolition taking place in less than a minute.
The building had shrunk before
The latest demolition is not the first time Longworth Hall has lost part of its length. In 1961, about 150 feet of the building was removed to make room for Interstate 75 on the Cincinnati side of the Ohio River. That section was later restored.Ironically, the part being removed now was itself added in the 1960s, after the building had already been shortened for the interstate.Longworth Hall has also changed ownership over the decades. In 1985, it was sold to Roy and Ron Schweitzer and Rudy Hermes, with the Schweitzers taking ownership soon afterwards. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.In 2023, the Ohio Department of Transportation acquired the property. ODOT now owns the building and plans to put it up for sale after the new bridge is completed.The current work is being carried out carefully because the remaining structure is historic. While much of the 210-foot section is being demolished, a portion of the original building will be taken apart in a way that allows its old bricks to be saved.
Old bricks will help rebuild the east end
The next stage will involve rebuilding Longworth Hall’s east end with bricks recovered during the demolition. The work will also include cleaning the exterior, replacing deteriorating bricks and mortar, and improving the building’s exterior windows.Other original materials left over from the demolition will also be saved for future maintenance and repairs.Ohio Department of Transportation Press Secretary Matt Bruning says, “The idea is that once all of this work is done, you will drive by on I-75 and look over at Longworth Hall and it will look like it did in 1904 when it was finished. Only it will be shorter,” Bruning said.ODOT said the rebuilding of the east-facing wall is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Demolition of the 1960s addition was expected to be completed within a couple of months, it was reported in March.Longworth Hall will also undergo extensive masonry work and upgrades to its historic windows before ODOT eventually transfers the property to its next owner.
The new bridge behind changes
The changes to Longworth Hall are directly linked to the long-planned Brent Spence companion bridge. The new bridge is being built immediately west of the existing Brent Spence Bridge and will provide a new crossing over the Ohio River.The project is expected to cost almost $4.4 billion. That figure is higher than the $3.6 billion estimate given the previous year, before the final bridge design was selected.The bridge project will bring more visible construction activity around the area. Bruning said the work would eventually move into the river and towards the approaches to the bridge.