Demolition of the 240-ft. Central Plant Smokestack behind B.B. Comer Hall began June 1 and is set to be finished by the end of July, Assistant Vice President for Construction Tim Leopard said.
The structure has been part of the Capstone since 1967, but University officials decided in February that the smokestack needed to be demolished to cut mounting costs for upkeep.
“The smokestack requires a lot of maintenance to keep it up, and it is nonfunctional,” Leopard said. “We felt like it was better to spend that money eliminating a maintenance problem and save the University money long term.”
The project will cost about $225,000, but according to The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees documents, the University will save $85,000 every five to 10 years in scheduled maintenance and $125,000 in deferred maintenance.
Since demolition began, the structure is down to 190 feet.
“Two methods are being used in this demolition,” Leopard said. “Right now [the construction workers] are literally demolishing it with air hammers, and once the building gets down to 90 feet, we will remove the men and the scaffold and use a hydraulic excavator.”
John Lyles, a University alumnus, set up a Facebook group called “Remember the Smokestack!”
“I created the group because people should know and care about what is happening on and to their campus,” Lyles said.
The University is a home for many students, Lyles said, and they should monitor changes to its infrastructure.
While the group stands as a way of remembering the smokestack, it also acts as a way to make students more aware of decisions UA administrators make that may affect them.
“It brought character to the campus, and with its removal, we lose a little bit of what makes our campus unique,” Lyles said.
For many students, the smokestack has become a campus landmark, Jenna Tidwell, a junior majoring in French and English, said.
“My first day of class here at UA, that smokestack helped me find my class,” she said. “Obviously, students will find their way around campus without it, but it is just sad to lose something of historic value on this campus.”
Shan Nazeer, a junior majoring in finance, said the demolition of the smokestack is something he is against.
“I feel like the University of Alabama is built on tradition, and we should keep it that way,” he said.
