MIDLAND, Texas — The Western United Life Building will no longer a part of the Tall City skyline in 2023.
While some might see that as bittersweet to see the building go, the Midland Development Corporation sees this as a chance to help revitalize Downtown.
In a decision made on Tuesday, the Midland City Council gave its approval for the Midland Development Corporation to contract with a company to demolish the Western United Life Building that has stood abandoned in Downtown Midland for decades.
The Midland Development Corporation acquired the building in 2018 and had plans at one point to redevelop the building and breathe new life into it.
However, things changed.
“So there have been three different attempts to redevelop the building, all proved unsuccessful ultimately. And what it boils down to is it’s so much more costly to redevelop and renovate an old, extremely large building than it would be to just build something new. So at this point after these three strikes the determination was made that it’s time to just make it a clean slate, build something fresh, and bring in a new development that will complement Downtown better,” said Sara Harris, Executive Director of the Midland Development Corporation.
The MDC sees the demolition as a stepping stone for a better Downtown for Midland.
“So we see a lot of interest in Downtown… We’ve got a lot of young families in Midland who are interested in recreation, having things to do. And the redevelopment of this block definitely has the potential to bring in some assets and amenities that a lot of Midlanders would like to enjoy,” Harris continued.
While the Midland Development Corporation doesn’t have any plans at the moment as to what to do with this area once the building is gone, they are open right now to proposals.