The former home of International Harvester in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is at risk of being demolished and part of its grounds being turned into a county jail. For years, Allen County Commissioners have been trying to strip the IH complex for parts—in a manner of speaking—and turn a profit off the old R&D location, which also saw the production of two million vehicles over six decades.
The sprawling automotive complex operated from 1923-1963, housing an assembly plant as well as an engineering building and a test track, according to Indiana Landmarks. That means operations started there over a century ago, though the modernist engineering building was erected in 1952. It was designed by architectural firm Albert Kahn and Associates, which built the structure to resemble the “I-H” initials when seen from above.
The line at the Fort Wayne assembly plant churned out 1.5 million heavy-duty trucks and 500,000 models of the beloved International Harvester Scout over the six decades it was open, according to the state of Indiana. The complex was also one of the first in the U.S. to host vehicle design, development, and production all at a single location.
The site has so far been preserved and used by Harvester Homecoming, a non-profit run by Scout enthusiasts who gather at the location to celebrate all things IH. The group had a rental agreement to keep using the building as a gathering place for the Scout community, but the county kicked them out to seek more lucrative ventures, forcing the group to bid farewell on Facebook. The site has not been torn down quite yet as The Drive understands it, but demolition is always a risk that these historic buildings face.
The International Harvester Engineering Building has now been on the list of Indiana’s 10 Most Endangered landmarks for two years in a row (2023, 2024) because Allen County has been trying to turn the site into a profitable location, which is fair. But proposals span from the banal and inoffensive to the slightly more sinister.
The county reportedly needs a new jail because its prison is overflowing, and commissioners had proposed selling a large tract of undeveloped land on the IH site to build the new jail. That plan dates back to December 2023 and, so far, has been thwarted by a lawsuit, which has forced any sale and development to be put on pause. County commissioners have also proposed turning the building into offices for the county or other local businesses, but those plans haven’t come to fruition.
Harvester Homecoming wanted to turn the building into a museum and tourism center for IH fans, but that’s now unlikely to happen since a new museum is currently in the works in the neighboring town of New Haven. The museum will house the IH Collection, which contains 65 International trucks and Scouts, as well as some from Navistar and assorted engines, prototypes, etc. The collection is currently sitting at the old site. Given the new museum, it’s unclear if the Ft. Wayne Engineering building will be preserved.
