Allegheny Township police are determining charges against four individuals connected to graffiti sprayed on an old, highly visible oil distillery along the Tredway Trail.
The building along the Allegheny River dates to the mid-1800s and symbolizes a brief but formative chapter in the area’s economic history.
On Sept. 2, officers caught a group spray-painting the structure, according to police Chief Dan Uncapher. He said his department is calculating total damages, which will establish which level of criminal mischief to charge them with, which can range from a summary to a felony offense.
In the meantime, public works crews are trying to remove the spray paint from under the structure’s four riverfront arches.
According to Roger Schwarz, public works superintendent, workers have pressure-washed and applied cleaner to no avail.
“I called a couple other public works places, and they’re getting back to me on what they use,” Schwarz said. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do at this point.”
Uncapher said he believes this was not a random act, with the suspects belonging to a “tagging group” in Pittsburgh that posted online about their plans to mark this spot.
He noted the tags are somewhat complex.
“If these people were smart, they’d go into business for themselves and paint pictures,” Uncapher said.
The distillery has been a historical point of interest far longer than it was in service.
Built in 1858 by the Lucesco Oil Co. to turn cannel coal into oil, the facility ran for just a few years before the discovery of petroleum in Titusville started an oil rush that made Lucesco’s method obsolete.
Despite efforts to pivot away from cannel oil, Lucesco faced financial hardship and went up for sale in 1866.
It’s unclear what exactly the arches were for, but Kathy Starr, vice president of the Allegheny Township Historical Society, said they may have been designed to facilitate shipping.
It’s not often the township has to deal with vandalism like this, Uncapher said.
“As far as graffiti, this is the first time,” he said. “I’m not saying you don’t have someone writing their initials on a bench or something with a Sharpie.”
