[RP TownTalk] ERCo Building was coming down today ...

[Sarah Wayland]

The building was derelict, no doubt. It had not been maintained for
decades - and it was an eyesore. And, it is on private (UMD) property,
so we had no control over it.

My feelings about its demise hinge on the loss of a physical reminder
of the history of our town. ERCO was started on that property, and
ERCO was an important part of the history of Riverdale (Park),
especially during WW II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering_and_Research_Corporation

In 1937, Henry Berliner purchased 50 acres of land in Riverdale,
Maryland near the College Park Airport and built the large ERCO
factory and airstrip. One of ERCO's most significant achievements was
the development of the Ercoupe aircraft.

The first experimental model of the Ercoupe was test-flown at College
Park airport in 1937. ... The first Ercoupe, serial No. 1, was owned
by George Brinckerhoff, the operator of the College Park Airport, and
flown there. It now is at the National Air and Space Museum.

During World War II, the ERCO factory made several products under
contract with the U.S. government, including gun turrets. ERCO earned
an "E" award for excellence in meeting manufacturing goals in its war
contracts.


.....................................................................................................
Sarah Wayland   |   www.GuidingExceptionalParents.com
Supporting students with learning differences and their families


On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 11:50 AM, Andrew Farrington
<skilletfries at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Am I really the only person in town who's glad that ugly derelict hulk is gone?  Are we all talking about the same building? An architecturally-unremarkable warehouse that hadn't been touched in sixty years?  I don't get it.  What was to like?
>