DuPont leaving Wilmington (Newark, Seaford: sale, 2015, hotel)

[Pine to Vine]

This article was on the front page of yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer:DuPont Co. leaving Wilmington. As a native Delawarean who has a lot of personal experience with DuPont, this is very sad news. Like most of my fellow schoolmates growing up in Seaford in the 60s and 70s, I was a DuPont kid. The company was extremely family-friendly, sponsoring company picnics and annual visits of Santa to the town theater at Christmas time. I lived in Wilmington twice in the 1980s, and for the nine months I spent there in 1987, I actually worked for DuPont. I realize that the headquarters is not moving very far away from Wilmington itself, but psychologically I think this move outside the actual city is sad news but only for Wilmingtonians but for all Delawareans.

DuPont is a very different company today and it was when the family was involved. It's hard for me to believe this move would've ever been made under their leadership.

[DelawareLiz]

Wow.....this is sad news. My paternal grandfather worked for DuPont in NCC for 40+ years. He was a science lab technician. He spent his first twenty years living on a very large farm in Brandywine Hundred, and then he went to work for DuPont after four years in the military. I remember he always seemed to enjoy his work there.

[Mimidae]

Guys, before we start getting too nostalgic here - they're not leaving Wilmington. They're just leaving the downtown area. Chestnut Run is literally only 3.75 miles from the current headquarters (I just looked it up), and itself is a long-time site for the company. It's still even technically "Wilmington", by the zipcode. It's spitting distance, as they say.

But yes, there are changes afoot. Not necessarily all for the bad. Time will tell, I guess.

[longnecker]

Originally Posted by Hallouise

Guys, before we start getting too nostalgic here - they're not leaving Wilmington. They're just leaving the downtown area. Chestnut Run is literally only 3.75 miles from the current headquarters (I just looked it up), and itself is a long-time site for the company. It's still even technically "Wilmington", by the zipcode. It's spitting distance, as they say.

But yes, there are changes afoot. Not necessarily all for the bad. Time will tell, I guess.

They have been known to completely leave town before. Seaford still has not recovered from the closing of the Dupont nylon plant.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by Hallouise

Guys, before we start getting too nostalgic here - they're not leaving Wilmington. They're just leaving the downtown area. Chestnut Run is literally only 3.75 miles from the current headquarters . . .

Yes, as I noted in my OP, the move is not far from the city of Wilmington. In fact, it will have a Wilmington address and zip as does the rest of unincorporated NCC. But trust me, Wilmington's mayor, council and Chamber of Commerce are not pleased to see DuPont depart for the suburbs. When trying to attract business to set up shop in the city, those charged with marketing Wilmington proper were previously able to tout that DuPont houses its CEO and corporate HQs downtown. They would rather not draw attention to the fact that the company backed its bags and moved outside the city's limits. And this is not to mention the financial impact of the move on the city: all those taxes associated with the HQ and its high paying executive are lost to the city as well.

The fact that DuPont is moving to Chestnut Run has greater impact that it might appear at first blush.

[Pocopsonite]

The company DuPont is spinning off, Chemours, will take over at least some of the space in downtown Wilmington. (Has there ever been a worse name than "Chemours"?)

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by Pocopsonite

The company DuPont is spinning off, Chemours, will take over at least some of the space in downtown Wilmington. (Has there ever been a worse name than "Chemours"?)

I know. It sounds like a "holding" name until some established chemical company steps in and purchases "Chemours," running off with the assets and taking the final vestiges of DuPont from downtown Wilmington with them.

[Woodlands]

Wow... just curious on what..if anything the state or city could of, would of or should of done? If/when they pack up doesnt that create other opportunties for the City (i.e find new corporations, repurpose former headquarters into other mixed use?) I travel through Wilmington periodically and the area around Rodney Square seems void of any activities after 5pm I wonder if their historic offices creates an opportunity for more housing downtown? Hopefully City Planners are hard at work to answer this question.. Wilmington seems to be strategically positioned on the NEC with Amtrak and more offering of downtown housing could capitalize on that and possibly attract residents that want to live in a more urban enviroment but have a lower cost of living and dont need to physically be in Philly, NYC, or DC five days a week

[G. Thomas Rhodes]

I was raised as a "Dupont Brat" a term I had not heard until we were moved to Newark. We were transferred to Louisville, ky, Concord, California, Waverly Tennessee, Bridge City, Texas, Bon Air, Virginia, Newark, Delaware, and Martinsville, Va. before I graduated high school. I went to the University of Va. for a few years then transferred to University of N.C. @ Greensboro where I eventually graduated, after a stint with an import/export group in and out of Columbia, S.A., Mexico, and Panama. Then I found ITT and spent a year in W. Africa, Nigeria to be exact. I absolutely loved W. Africa, I was bitten by a spider, adopted by a Black Mamba, charged by Elephants, nudged by Hippos, attacked by a Leopard, and surrounded by the Ikbo Masquerade while walking back to camp one night after a dance in a local village. Other than these little incidents, "life as usual" takes on an entirely different meaning in W. Africa.

[LibraGirl123]

I have season tickets to the DuPont Theatre (located in the DuPont Hotel), and received an email this morning that the theatre is being sold to The Grand Opera House. Decided to do a little research, and came up with this:

The recent changes at DuPont have occurred against the backdrop of a billionaire investor fighting to break up the company to maximize shareholder return.


Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management LP, one of DuPont's largest investors, has campaigned to split DuPont into one company focused on agriculture and nutrition and another on industrial materials operations. In September, Trian flagged DuPont's hospitality division, consisting of the theater, hotel and DuPont Country Club off Rockland Road, as a symbol of excessive corporate costs.


Last week, Peltz upped the ante by announcing that he would nominate himself and three other directors to DuPont's board.

DuPont Theatre sale could mean more shows, less Broadway