Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA 1917 tire plant turned WWII munitions factory, now a mixed-use complex where a fatal electrocution and labyrinthine tunnels fuel recurring paranormal reports.
800 Wisconsin St, Eau Claire, WI 54701
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free to visit common areas; tenant businesses have their own pricing
Access
Limited Access
Large industrial complex; tunnels beneath Building 4 involve stairs and uneven surfaces
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1917 · WWII industrial production · Chippewa Valley manufacturing history · Army-Navy E Award recipient · Largest employer in Eau Claire history
The Gillette Safety Tire Company broke ground on the Wisconsin Street plant in 1917, constructing what would grow into the nation's third-largest tire factory by 1965. At peak capacity the facility turned out 30,000 tires per day and employed thousands of Eau Claire residents, becoming one of the most significant industrial employers in the Chippewa Valley.
In 1942 the federal government requisitioned the plant and converted it to military ordnance production. At its wartime peak the Eau Claire Ordnance Plant employed 6,200 workers, with women comprising 61 percent of the workforce. The facility received an Army-Navy E Award for production excellence in 1943. After the war ended, tire manufacturing resumed under U.S. Rubber and later Uniroyal following a 1967 corporate consolidation.
The factory closed in June 1992, displacing 1,358 workers in what was one of the larger manufacturing shutdowns in the region's history. Developers Bill Cigan and Jack Kaiser bought the 1.8-million-square-foot property in August 1992 and renamed it Banbury Place. It now operates as a mixed-use commercial complex with rentals, conference space, and self-storage spread across the original multi-building campus.
Beneath Building 4, a network of industrial tunnels constructed during the plant's operational years remains partially accessible. A tenant in Building 13 was killed by accidental electrocution during the complex's commercial-redevelopment era.
Sources
Two distinct focal points dominate the paranormal accounts at Banbury Place. Building 13 is associated with the accidental electrocution of a tenant during the complex's commercial-use period. Witnesses in that building have reported hearing screams and painful moans, described by some accounts as the sound of someone reliving the moment of death. Shadowy figures have also been observed moving through Building 13's hallways.
The second focal point is the tunnel system beneath Building 4. Local news coverage by WQOW documented the tunnels as hidden infrastructure from the factory era. Investigators and employees working late have reported the sound of running footsteps with no visible source in these passages, along with sightings of apparitions moving through the corridors.
The scale of the complex — 1.8 million square feet across multiple buildings — means most of the campus sees ordinary commercial traffic daily. The paranormal activity is concentrated in two specific areas consistently identified across multiple independent accounts.
Self-guided exploration of the 1.8-million-square-foot former industrial campus. The tunnels beneath Building 4 are a particular draw, documented in local news coverage. Building 13 is the reported site of the fatal electrocution.
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