Last of Springdale boiler finally falls
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The remains of the massive boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station was pulled down shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday.
Thick dust enveloped the Springdale neighborhood adjacent to the property after the building fell toward the houses there.
The building came down at 1:03 p.m. after delays spanning several hours as officials and the demolition company wanted to ensure the job was done safely.
Allegheny County Police spokesman Jim Madalinsky said the were no reports of damage or injuries, “just dust and debris, based on initial assessments.”
Boiler house pulled down. Thick cloud sent east into Springdale. pic.twitter.com/NsEJsU3MP0
— Brian Rittmeyer (@BCRittmeyer) March 8, 2025
By 1:19 p.m., first responders were removing barricades and in the process of being released.
The main roads in Springdale and neighboring Cheswick was back open by 1:30 p.m.
But the area around Porter Street, which borders the site, was to remain closed while the company works on the cleanup.
B&B Demolition’s project manager Phil Kennedy explained the reason for the delays prior to the demolition. “What we’re doing is very dangerous work, and it’s very meticulous,” Kennedy said. “It’s not something we would rush to make an arbitrary timeline or deadline.”
Police sounded sirens 10 minutes and then five minutes before the demolition started.
The rest of the boiler house in Springdale pulled over just after 1 pm today @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/YOmZ2QSWoD
— Kellen Stepler (@KellenStepler) March 8, 2025
The estimated start time for the work had shifted later several times throughout Saturday morning, originally set for between 9 and 11 a.m.
Kennedy said part of the reason for the delay was that the crew lost a workday Wednesday due to high winds. Crews were trying to make up that lost time Friday night and into early Saturday.
The remaining portion of the building was cut and pulled so it fell toward Springdale.
The larger part of the building, pulled down last Sunday, was pulled in the opposite direction, toward Cheswick.
Kennedy said the reason for that is that it would be problematic to make column cuts on the Cheswick side.
He said the company was confident that there is enough room on the Springdale side, bordering Porter Street, for the building to fall safely and the debris to remain on the power plant property.
Officials had told nearby residents to stay inside their homes during the demolition and for a half-hour after. Residents of certain Springdale homes — on lower Porter Street— were to be evacuated before, during and after the demolition, according to a notice from Springdale Borough.
Road detours were scheduled to be in place at 7:30 a.m., according to county police. The plan was to shut down Freeport Road and Pittsburgh Street from Low Grade Road to Riddle Run Road.
But Pittsburgh Street reopened for a time when the demolition was delayed.
It closed again at noon.
“I’m just ready for it to be over with,” Justin Schmidt, a resident of Garfield Street in Springdale, said prior to the demolition.
Saturday morning, Springdale resident Ray Hrabos expressed mixed emotions about seeing the landmark power plant come down.
“It’s sad to see stuff iconic to Springdale disappear,” Hrabos said. “I hope it will bring a cleaner environment.”
A pull-down attempt last Sunday was only partly successful; officials estimated about 70% of the 13-story building was demolished due to an issue with the cables that were used to pull down the structure.
Residents of three households on lower Porter Street were relocated to hotels this week by Charah, the parent company of CPERG, as a precautionary measure.
The boiler house was set to be imploded in September 2023, but the plan was paused because of a lawsuit filed by 16 Springdale residents who claimed an earlier implosion of two ever taller smokestacks at the site caused damage to their health and properties. They claimed an implosion of the boiler house would be even worse.
An Allegheny County judge granted the injunction, but the ruling was overturned by the state Superior Court last fall.
In January, CPERG decided it would tear down the structure without using explosives.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive staff writer. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com. Kellen Stepler is a TribLive staff writer. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.