The first ever Brach’s site—a small storefront candy shop—opened on North Avenue in 1904 by founder Emil Brach (he named his store Brach’s Palace of Sweets). After two years, the growing business moved to another, larger West Side location. Four more moves occurred over the next dozen or so years as company continued to grow. Brach’s Candy built the Cicero and Lake complex in 1923 and remained there till 2004, though its parent company was bought and sold several times since the 1960s.
By 2002, the company began moving its candy operations to Argentina. By 2004, the once mighty Chicago candy maker closed its Austin plant for good. At its height, the factory employed thousands of workers. Towards its closing, the factory had a workforce of only a few hundred.
The only action there since was an office building blown to bits in 2007 for a scene in The Dark Knight.
“We still need a school in the community,” Ford said, now touting a stretch of land near Washington and Central were several recently-demolished homes once stood. “Perhaps we can look at this location as the next best option to make that happen.”
Terry Dean contributed to this story.
Article Appeared @http://www.austinweeklynews.com/News/Articles/8-20-2013/Brach%27s-teardown-stirs-mixed-community-reaction/