Implosion to make local history

By Denice Thibodeau

Published: October 7, 2008

Months after fire ripped through the historic Long Mill complex, the Dye House at the Long Mill site is expected to be taken down in what city officials are calling the first building implosion in Danville’s history.

Lyle Lacy, interim city manager, announced Tuesday that the Dye House will be imploded on Oct. 30.

Lacy said he thought this would be the first building implosion in Danville.

Implosions are designed to bring a building down without disturbing the surrounding area, but city staff already is working on safety plans that include road closures, evacuation of residents in nearby homes and determining an area where spectators can safely watch the implosion.

“We had our first staff meeting today,” Lacy said Tuesday of the city’s preparations.

Jerry Rigney, director of inspections for Danville, said the Long Mill Group, which owns the property, has contracted with a blasting contractor to take the building down.

The building has no materials of interest for reuse, such as bricks or timbers, as it is made of concrete, city officials said.

Lacy said he didn’t anticipate any outcry from preservation groups about this particular building. He said he understood that the remaining brick buildings at the site will be disassembled so the bricks can be sold.

Plans for future use of the site are not known.

“They (the Long Mill Group) have not disclosed that to us,” Lacy said.

Rigney said several buildings were condemned and ordered to be taken down, while others could have been repaired if the owners decided to do so, but the owners have decided to remove all of the buildings on the site.

The blasting company has defined a safety zone that must be cleared before the implosion, even though an implosion should bring everything down within the perimeter of the building.

“But we have to take precautions,” Lacy said.

The city will close both the King Memorial and Union Street bridges and a stretch of Riverside Drive for about a half hour before and after the implosion, which is currently scheduled for 10 a.m.

People in houses between the site and Riverside Drive will be evacuated during the event, and plans will be made to transport invalids to a place of safety, Lacy said. The final plan will include someplace for all of the residents to go.

Lacy said officials also are considering closing a stretch of Memorial Drive so spectators have someplace to watch the implosion.

“This thing doesn’t lend itself to an easy spectator line of sight,” Lacy said, adding that he expected a crowd to gather. “We need to plan for it.”

A May 8 fire that destroyed two buildings at the complex forced emergency crews to shut down the Union Street Bridge, which was lined with spectators, and evacuate three nearby streets.

Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.