Former Quaker Fabric plant in Fall River to be demolished

FALL RIVER — Asbestos abatement has begun as the precursor to total demolition of the sprawling former Quaker Fabric Plant J at 81 Ferry St.

Owner of the former mill and Borden & Remington President Bob Bogan said he has no plans for the property at this time, but chose to demolish the building rather than make needed repairs.

“Right now it’s more cost-effective to tear it down than to repair the roof. It’s a cost savings,” Bogan said.

Snow and ice buckled a portion of the building's flat roof in 2015.

Bogan said he’s taken down other properties and that he will not cut corners with the demolition.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has approved two permits, one to remove 4,000 cubic yards of asbestos containing materials and the other a notification of the demolition of the 200,000-square-foot complex.

The MassDEP permit applications indicate the work will start in April and go into October.

A crew has been on site removing windows and other materials.

Fall River Inspectional Services Director Glenn Hathaway said a representative from the New Hampshire-based company, Select Demolition Services, which is doing the abatement and demolition work, applied for a city permit to remove the asbestos but had not yet applied for the demolition permit.

Records identify the owner of the property as Lee Francis LLC, with Bogan and Sharon Quinn as managers.

Bogan purchased the Ferry Street property in 2009, two years after Quaker Fabric, once Fall River’s largest employer with 2,400 employees in the 1990s, shut its doors.

The closing displaced 930 workers.

Located on 9 acres, across from Borden Light Marina, the building, all on a single floor, has 14 loading docks.

The building was constructed in 1947 by J & J Corrugated Box Company.

Email Jo C. Goode at jgoode@heraldnews.com.