It’s been about a year since it became public knowledge that Oak Park’s oldest business was on the rocks.
Now, H.J. Mohr & Sons Co. is liquidating the remainder of its stock and equipment and planning to sell the nearly 3-acre property where the concrete manufacturer is located at Harlem Avenue and Garfield Street.
Karen Richards, a principal of Mohr & Sons, said in a telephone interview that the company recently sold all of its trucks and is selling the remainder of its goods.
“We have some tools and there’s some truck parts, and we do have some China clay and some bagged goods,” she said.
She said the property, which takes up more than a full block near the Eisenhower Expressway, is not officially on the market, but there have been interested buyers.
Richards revealed that another concrete manufacturer was interested in purchasing the property over the summer, but the deal ultimately fell through.
She said it’s been hard seeing the business close, adding that it’s “sad” since Mohr has been in operation since 1893.
Mohr also owns the shopping center north of the concrete business, but Richards said she’s unsure what will happen to that property.
Viktor Schrader, of the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, said it is uncertain when the property will go on the market.
“We’ve been in touch with ownership, but as far as we know they’re deciding what their next step is,” he said.
Schrader said there has been some interest from a diverse group of developers but it is unknown what will ultimately become of the property.
“I think it runs the gamut,” he said of the possible uses for the property. “People recognize that it’s an opportunity, but they’re exploring what the potential is.”
Schrader noted that the property is zoned for general commercial use.
The company ceased operations in 2018, and it’s not a modern factory “so it’s less likely it stays a concrete company,” Schrader said.
He added that there is a “preference for it to be turned into something else, whether it is residential or office or some other commercial use.”
tim@oakpark.com
