Old garage at Riverside Casting Plant in Benton Harbor, Michigan demolished.

A garage at the old Riverside Casting Plant in Benton Harbor, Michigan was demolished by a demolition crew earlier in September 2019. The demolition time period lasted between 10-20 hours. Both contractor parties came to an agreement on how much money would be needed for demolition.

Demolition for a hangar and the main building are currently pending. Nothing has happened so far. A hangar and the main building remain extant on the property for now. Their parking lot has since been flattened with gravel. Some areas have been repaved using cement. Other parts of the cement foundation have yet to be repaved. Most of the ground foundation has been leveled and repaved.


For those who don’t know, Riverside Casting Plant was built as a casting plant on the outskirts of Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1921. Although the address is listed as being located in Benton Harbor, the Riverside Casting Plant was actually located inside the township of Benton Harbor northeast of town. A reservoir was built on the rear end of the property.

Riverside Casting Plant produced artillery shells during World War II. Production of artillery shells started in December 8, 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Production of artillery shells ceased in 1945 after World War II had ended. (Ref: http://www.uer.ca/locations/show.asp?locid=24189)

By 1950, Auto Specialties Manufacturing used the Riverside Casting Plant to produce and mine magnesium. The magnesium would be sent to the St. Joseph casting center in St. Joseph, Michigan for distribution.

A new foundry plant was built at a cost of $3,000,000 dollars for war purposes. This foundry plant was operated by Auto Specialties Manufacturing as part of the defense operations authorized by the government. Auto Specialties Manufacturing broke ground with this foundry plant on January 27, 1967. (Ref: The Herald-Press, Page 2, Friday, January 27, 1967)

500 Auto Specialties Manufacturing Co. employees were laid off after a plant breakdown on August 29, 1967. They applied for unemployment benefits set by UAW Local 965. A mechanical breakdown was the cause and reason for all those layoffs. (Ref: The Herald-Press, Page 3, Tuesday, August 29, 1967)

Herald-Palladium reported that Auto Specialties Manufacturing made a decision to close Riverside Casting Plant on August 1, 1980. 210 jobs were lost after Auto Specialties Manufacturing made the decision to close Riverside Casting Plant. Many people were laid off. The closure happened because of the 1978 recession. It was an “already depressed economy”. (Ref: Herald-Palladium, Page 3, Wednesday, June 18, 1980)

Production was moved to the St. Joseph casting center in St. Joseph, Michigan after closure. Their equipment remained on the property for taxing purposes. The main building remained extant despite the fact all of the other buildings were demolished. A couple of garages escaped demolition. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/365483074/)

Benton Township Supervisor James Benson cited a sharp reduction in light truck and car production. This was a result from the 1978 recession in the United States. However the Riverside Casting Plant was not the largest employer in the township. Clark Equipment Co. Construction - Machinery Division and Whirlpool Corp were the larger employers of the area. (Ref: Herald-Palladium, Benson Says Loss Of Hardship To People, Wednesday, June 18, 1980)

Today the Riverside Casting Plant is abandoned and remains so. Riverside Casting Plant is an example of industrial archaeology of what is now just ruins.

Riverside Casting Plant was located on 2201 Riverside Road, Benton Harbor, Michigan, US 49022.