Docking building construction makes significant progress

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The Docking building at 915 SW Harrison St. has seen major changes in the three months since construction started.

Most of the windows have been removed and the limestone stripped from the exterior. Unlike traditional construction sites, though, these materials are being recycled for use inside the new building. Senior project manager for the Docking building demolition, Jim Keusler, told 13 News that about fifty percent of the glass and stone can be salvaged. He says that due to the amount of recycled and reused materials used in this project make it more environmentally friendly than completely razing the building.

“Unlike a normal demolition project where you might bring cranes in and wrecking balls and big equipment, this project is actually being demolished piece by piece,” He said. “So as it went up in 1954 it’s coming down just in reverse order.”

The windows will be ground into small pieces then mixed with epoxy resin and other aggregates to create the flooring inside the completed building. Limestone they’ve recovered is packed up and sent off to be refurbished and resized. Keusler estimates that his crew has packed upwards of 1,200 palettes of stone in their three months of work.

The limestone sculptures that adorned the Docking building previously will also be reused as attractions outside the new build.

Keusler said that his crew is on track to complete construction by June of 2025.

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