The building had been sitting empty for at least a decade when Feibush made an offer in late 2017 for the block-size property. He told me he had always envisioned the factory as a teardown and paid top dollar when he closed the sale in April for $15.5 million. When the Historical Commission refused to let Carlisle withdraw his nomination for designation, Feibush found a workaround: After obtaining two engineering reports stating the building was in bad condition, he was able to persuade the commission and the Department of Licenses and Inspections to grant him a demolition permit. He is now tearing it down and wants to build a mix of townhouses and apartments. However, the land is currently zoned for industry only, and Feibush has long been at war with the district councilperson, Kenyatta Johnson, who has veto power over its rezoning.