The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
MEMORIES COME TUMBLING DOWN
Demolition begins on former St. Joseph Community Center, hospital buildings
Demolition of the former St. Joseph Community Center has begun.
All Star Demolition Services LLC began the work Nov. 4 by removing trees and shrubs lining the west side of the building near West 20th Street and Reid Avenue.
The Union, N.J.-based company is consulting and overseeing the knock-down for Earth Exchange, which is based outside Boston, said Dennis Dannenfelser Jr., owner and CEO of All Star Demolition Services.
Eventually, owner A7 Development Group LLC of North Andover, Mass., hopes to use the site for a new mixed-use project with commercial, residential and retail elements, officials said.
For now, the goal is to make the site safe and ready for development, Dannenfelser said.
Tearing down the former hospital will not be an overnight job, he quipped.
Instead, a crew of four to five workers could be on site up to four months, Dannenfelser said.
“It’s a team that I sent out to handle those size jobs,” he said.
The team includes Dannenfelser’s son, Daniel Dannenfelser, who is operations manager for the company.
The demolition was scheduled to start on the west building, which appeared to among the shortest structures of the former hospital.
When crews have to remove the taller buildings, they will use excavators with long-reach arms to cut them down.
The west building showed why razing the site may take time.
An operator used an excavator to begin peeling off the roof, brick facade and an inner layer of foam insulation.
Beneath that, the building was a box of concrete that chipped, but generally seemed to withstand repeated pounding blows of the machine’s claw, at least for the beginning of the project.
It did not appear there was much left in the building to salvage.
“It’s in pretty bad shape inside, between it being not so secured for a long time and abandoned,” Dannenfelser said.
Local transient people have stripped out copper for sale, he said.
“They destroyed the inside of the place,” Dannenfelser said. “It’s a shame.”
Years ago, the hospital was cleaned up of any asbestos, lead-based paint or other hazardous materials, so those are gone, too, he said.
“So, there’s not a lot of waste in the building because a lot of it was gutted already,” Dannenfelser said. “I think it’s going to be a nice, clean, smooth project.”
Now, the site is fenced off, with access openings boarded up or welded shut.
Severe weather with ice could slow down the process, but rain or snow are welcome to help keep down dust that rises when the building crumbles, Dannenfelser said.
It may seem counterintuitive, but snow reflects light that makes it easier for operators to see building details when they are running the long-reach excavators, he said.
“We’re trying to make sure that there’s conformity and progress going forward so it doesn’t stop,” Dannenfelser said.
All Star Demolition will recycle as much material as possible, including wood and metal, along with masonry that can be reused for backfill, he said.
All Star Demolition is working with some Cleveland-based contractors for equipment and disposing of scrap metal.
Lorain-based T.G. Eschtruth Inc. is waste hauler for the project.
Dannenfelser also credited the work of Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley and the city Utilities Department for getting the project permitted and started quickly.
The seven-level parking garage remains structurally sound, Dannenfelser said.
It needs work, but it can be renovated, although the final decision on that will be up to the developer, he said.
The parking garage originally was in the demolition plan, but right now, is a lower priority than removing the former medical buildings.
“My focus of concern is getting this hospital down so we can take the danger out of it,” Dannenfelser said.
Mercy Health leaders also hope to schedule a ceremony to commemorate the hospital and community center.
That could happen as early as next week; exact details were not finalized as of Nov. 4.