Three years ago, several small businesses were displaced and a historic factory demolished to make way for a new commercial center at the east end of 116th Street, also known as El Barrio.

Today, the lot remains vacant, covered by debris from the ruins of the old Washburn factory. The superstores Home Depot or Costco, which were supposed to be built in the new East River Plaza commercial center, have yet to be materialized. The company that controls the property, however, promises to start the construction soon

The ongoing talk about the possible displacement of some small businesses, including a beauty salon, a laundry and a carpet store, by the construction of another commercial center on 125th Street, is reminiscent of what happened with the East River Plaza project, when several small establishments were expropriated by the government.

One of the businesses – a carpentry shop – that had been in the hands of the same family since 1927 became an epicenter of the commercialization issue when the expropriation destroyed the business.

The shop, which belonged to the Minnich family, moved to El Barrio in the 1980s and employed about 10 workers.

Bill Minnich, a member of the third and last generation of the family to work in the shop, said if his ancestors were not forced out, his family would still be running their shop in El Barrio.

After being forced out, Minnich abandoned wood work and moved to another state to open a carwash. Continuing in the carpentry business would not have been possible for the family, he says. “After all those years, to start again from scratch?”

Minnich said he still gets angry each time he thinks of how his family lost the business, and the lack of interest by the community in the shop’s problem. He thinks that his case, as well as those of other businesses in a similar situation, proves that in this country, “You don’t own your business, you just rent it.”

Although the Minnich family tried to fight their eviction in the court, they did not succeed.

“You get to the point where you have no more money, and you have no more time,” said Minnich.

Litigation is still pending against the East River Plaza project.

The suit, brought by the Bara organization – a group of El Barrio businesses and residents – came before the Manhattan Federal Appeals Court last week. The members of Bara claim that because the new commercial center will receive $5 million in federal government funds, an assessment must be made of the value of the historic properties that might be affected by the construction.

The historic property most directly affected has already been destroyed, including the old Washburn wire factory, which will be included on the list of the National Registry of Historic sites, according to Bara architect Raymond Plumey.

In spite of the demolition of the property, Plumey said that the government should still examine the case. “The buildings are gone, but that doesn’t mean the builder or the federal government shouldn’t compensate the community” of El Barrio,” he said.

For their part, the representatives of Tiago Holdings, the company that is developing East River Plaza, said that not only are they going ahead with their plans to develop the commercial center, but they expect soon to receive $15 million or more in government assistance through the “Empowerment Zone,” the upper Manhattan economic development zone.

If the construction of East River Plaza has not been completed, the fault lies with those who have filed litigation against Tiago Holdings, said Jesse Mazyr, spokesman for the enterprise. The lawsuits “have been effective only in holding up the completion of the project.”

Mazyr stressed that both the community board and the area’s elected officials have given their approval for the commercial center project.