Hutchinson ? A Hutchinson family has turned an old downtown candy factory into its new home.

Basil Wilson’s family has moved into the red-brick building that once housed Richard-Scheble Candy Co.

Wilson has used the building for the past 14 years as his wood shop and now his family moved in and turned the parking lot into a garden.

“We had to dig out the rocks,” said Evelyn Wilson. “We literally sifted the rocks by hand.”

Basil Wilson works for Precision Pattern Interiors in Wichita making airplane furniture.

The four-story building was first built in 1900 and rebuilt at double the size after a fire.

Basil Wilson said A.R. Scheble, a 52-year-old candy manufacturer, was killed in the building while on the freight elevator.

After her husband’s death, Junia Belle Scheble asked that the elevator never be used again. A second freight elevator was built and it’s still used today to bring heavy wood pieces to the wood shops.

Junia Belle Scheble kept the candy factory open and produced Donatti Chocolates, hard candy, peppermints and hot caramels, but it closed in 1954.

An aluminum company then owned it, and a dance studio operated on the third floor for a decade.

Basil Wilson bought the building with aspirations to expand his aircraft furniture manufacturing.

“I bought it to boost production,” Wilson said. The family also has aspirations to rent out apartments in the building.

While Basil Wilson and the family has grand plans for the building, Evelyn Wilson said she has questioned the plan.

“I’m the practical one, wondering how will we heat this?” she said.