KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) _ Demolition crews are tearing down a former factory in Kokomo that housed the operations of early automobile pioneer Elwood Haynes.

The Haynes Automobile Co.'s four-story brick building dates to 1916 but has largely stood as a relic since the company's bankruptcy in 1925.

City Board of Public Works President Randy McKay tells the Kokomo Tribune (http://bit.ly/1MtcUiU ) that officials worked for a year to find ways to save the building but it needed to be torn down after inspection reports found it in dangerous condition. McKay says the demolition and cleanup should be finished within the next few weeks.

Retired Chrysler employee Keith Johnson said he was disappointed to watch the demolition. He says he wishes that part of Kokomo's history could've been saved, possibly as a museum.