Remnant of South Boston Industrial Neighborhood Being Demolished

WHAT: Demolition of old brick “Loyal Crown” linen factory smokestack near Dorchester Street and Old Colony Avenue in South Boston, location of future Washington Village housing and mixed-use neighborhood near Andrew Square.

WHEN: Starting at noon TODAY, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. (Demolition will be done in stages.)

WHERE: Former headquarters of Crown Uniform & Linen Service, 39 Damrell St., Boston, MA 02127, near the corner of Dorchester Street and Old Colony Avenue.

WHO: Representatives of DJ Properties LLC, developers of the new mixed-use Washington Village neighborhood on the site of the old Crown Uniform & Linen Service headquarters and adjacent land parcels; demolition specialists; neighbors and friends.

BACKGROUND

The 120-foot-tall brick smokestack at the former headquarters of Crown Uniform & Linen Service (now located in Brockton) will be demolished.

Crown is a family business founded by immigrant Athans Spiliotopoulos in 1914 as Loyal Coat & Apron Supply Co. The stack was erected in the late 1930s, after what had become Loyal Crown Linen Service moved into the former munitions factory building at 39 Damrell St. in South Boston, near Andrew Square. The tall addition to the neighborhood was required when the company installed a new and larger boiler.

The smokestack is one of the last elements of a five-acre former industrial site being demolished to make way for Washington Village. Construction on the new mixed-use Washington Village is expected to begin in 2018.

Demolition specialists have constructed a 30-foot-high ramp, from which a Volvo 480 High Reach excavator will initiate the removal. The excavator is fitted with a 115-foot hydraulic extension boom and rotating concrete shear. It will remove 10-foot-tall sections of the stack at a time, until the stack is brought to an elevation of about 50 feet. A Komatsu PC800 excavator will remove the remaining portion.

Once the stack is down, a crew will pick out the original white “Loyal Crown” bricks, which will be reused in the future Washington Village project public space. Demolition of the stack is expected to take about six hours, with full removal of the debris and foundation in the next four days.

ABOUT WASHINGTON VILLAGE

Washington Village is a planned six-block neighborhood with 656 new residential units, a 1.5-acre central Green, 98,000 square feet of retail space, and parking for 648 cars. The five-acre site outside Andrew Square consists of underutilized warehouse and industrial space, now being demolished, abutting a vibrant residential neighborhood. Incorporating feedback from meetings with the Andrew Square Civic Association and abutters, the redevelopment include an anchor grocery store, cafes, restaurants and small retail shops, interconnected with almost a mile of new sidewalks and 130 new trees – culminating in a new gathering space for residents of Andrew Square in South Boston. For more information, please go to www.wvboston.com .