Pawtucket Dismantled Iconic Apex Pyramid Building. Here’s Why.
Removal of the exterior panels was prompted by safety concerns said a city official. They stopped short of removing the entire structure, saying that insurance would only cover the removal of the panels.
The city says that the pyramid’s frame as well as the building’s roof is structurally safe and secure.
Will the rest of the Apex building be demolished?
The short answer? Eventually.
Right now, the city’s insurance only covered the removal of the exterior panels of the pyramid. However, the city spokesperson said in an email, “as we move forward with developing this site, the building will likely need to be leveled. This property is a key part of Pawtucket’s waterfront revitalization—connecting the stadium at Tidewater Landing to future residential and commercial developments—with the goal of becoming the new state-of-the-art headquarters for Hasbro.”
Why hasn’t Pawtucket repaired the Apex building?
Pawtucket officials hope Hasbro will accept a proposal to build a new headquarters on a four-parcel site that includes the historical department store building.
Hasbro − or another company, if the toymaker decides to leave the city − probably would raze the Apex building and start with a clean site, according to spokeswoman Grace Voll. That means the city probably won’t fully repair the iconic roof, though Voll wouldn’t rule it out.
“It doesn’t make a ton of sense to do a total repair on the roof,” Voll said.
Why does Pawtucket own the Apex pyramid?
In 2021, Pawtucket acquired the unusual ziggurat-roofed Apex building for $17.7 million after protracted negotiations with the former owner led to an eminent domain process and court-approved settlement.
Besides the Apex building, which sits on the bank of the Seekonk River just downstream from the Pawtucket Falls, the deal includes two vacant parcels across the street, the tire center and an office building on a triangular lot between the Apex building and the Blackstone River, as it’s called upstream of the falls.
What did the pitch to Hasbro include?
The city’s rendering of the proposed Hasbro headquarters − offered to the company in January − shows a campus-style complex of buildings on the crescent-shaped parcel bounded roughly by part of the S-curve on I-95 and the Blackstone and Seekonk rivers as they pass through downtown. (The Seekonk is the brackish tidal continuation of the freshwater Blackstone after the latter plunges down Pawtucket Falls.)
Gleaming glass buildings would sit on the Apex site and adjoining parcels, including the longtime home of the Apex Tire and Auto store, a vacant lot between the Apex site and the To Kalon Club, and the vacant site where the former Sawyer School was torn down. The complex would be anchored by a 225,000-square-foot headquarters building for the company.
Last fall, CEO Chris Cocks indicated that Hasbro was “exploring a new HQ with a collaborative, modern environment that is reflective of our brands and fosters innovation,” and Hasbro employees should expect an update in the first three months of 2025.
“We wouldn’t be moving until mid-2026 at the earliest, prioritizing convenience to public transit, and working closely with teams to make sure we’re building a space that works for our unique needs,” Cocks said.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Apex pyramid was dismantled by Pawtucket over the weekend. Here’s why.
Reporting by Journal Staff / The Providence Journal USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Top Photo: The wind-damaged roof of the former Apex building in Pawtucket.