Damen Silos
Demolition
Click any date or image below to see more.
Backstory and original documents collected by MPDC. Full analysis as published in MAS Context.

Oct 14: River Barrier Replaced, Filled Silo Slows Work
After a brief pause in work while the river barrier was replaced, demolition activity resumed. Workers opened the filled silo, spilling a large pile of material on the back side of the building. Multiple large sprayers were positioned to control the resulting dust.

Oct 10: River Barrier Breaks Loose
The river barrier in front of the Silos is intended to block debris off the site from floating downstream. Around 11:30 this morning, the barrier itself broke loose and drifted off.

Oct 8: Demolition Resumes with New Dust Plan
CDPH blessed a new dust mitigation plan on October 7, according to their website, allowing demolition to resume the next day. While the new plan offers very specific instructions for dealing with dust, it does not address debris in the river.

Oct 3: Demo Team and CDPH Meet Onsite
CDPH and the demolition team meet onsite, we assume for purposes of making a new dust plan. While no further demolition occurs today, crews continue to clean up near the silos.

Oct 2: Demolition Stopped for Excessive Dust
CDPH stopped demolition due to excessive dust, requiring that demolition contractor Heneghan Wrecking make a new plan to control dust for the remaining portions of the Silos.

Oct 1: 2 Silos Left
The remains of the filled silo are removed, leaving only 2 silos and the tower standing.
Sept 26: Gaps Along River Edge Grow Larger
Drone footage shows that the holes in the dock are larger than the previous week. The Chicago Department of Buildings (DOB) says that it was not possible to put the promised metal plates on the dock because moving something so heavy onto that portion of the site posed dangerous conditions for workers.

Sept 23: Another Filled Silo
Crews open the 3rd to last silo, finding it filled with the same substance as the other full silo, plus some unknown black material coating the bottom of the interior.

Sept 19: Missing Plates on Dock Lead to Runoff Issues
According to the demolition plan, there should be metal plates over the dock and between the dock and the barge. Those plates are intended to prevent dust from going through the planks into the water. As shown clearly in these images, no such protections are actually present.

Sept 12: River-Facing Edge of Silos Comes Down Slowly
According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, work has slowed down because the concrete used in this structure is harder to break apart than that used in the other buildings. This contradicts claims by the owners that the Silos were inherently unstable and unsafe.
Sept 5: Filled Silo Slows Work, Contents Trucked Offsite
Work on the Silos has been slow this week. One silo is filled with an unknown substance, and dozens of trucks are circulating to move it offsite. The weather was particularly windy, which posed additional challenges to keeping dust down. Cracks in the wall facing the river are slightly larger, but not substantially changed.

Aug 29: Demolition Reaches Riverfront Wall
A slice of the silo at the southeastern edge is missing, and cracks appear in the wall directly on the riverfront. Now that barges have left the Santa Fe Slip, bricks and debris in the outlets under the former red brick building are visible. Dead fish from the previous week’s combined sewer overflow have been removed.

Aug 26: First Row of Final Silos Nears Completion
The row of silos facing away from the river is demolished. Several small trees cling to the top of the remaining structure.

Aug 21: Demolition of Final Silos Gets Going
Wrecking balls get to work on the river edge silos - the last of 5 buildings onsite.

Aug 15-16: Continued Site Cleanup
Bricks are bundled for storage, and machines chip away at the carcass of the center silo. Meanwhile, cranes are positioned around the remaining silos at the river edge in preparation for their demolition.

Aug 11: US Army Corps of Engineers Site Visit
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducted a site visit to investigate treatment of bricks - which are supposed to be saved for a future riverwalk- and preservation of the red brick building below grade, which is required for the federal demolition permit.
Some bricks had fallen in the river, which was also an issue.
The USACE documents here show what was addressed during the visit.

Aug 9: Aerial Views Show Changed Land and Skyline
Drone images over the weekend show the site partially cleaned up. The Sears Tower is now clearly visible from the Damen Ave bridge and 29th St.

Aug 8: Machines Move Debris, Prepare for Last Silo
The red brick building is fully demolished. Machines pick up bricks and rubble. Some package bricks for preservation. Cranes set up to destroy the last silo.

Aug 5: Center Silo Gone, Red Brick Underway
The center silo is reduced to rubble. It was promised to be contained in the underground portion of the structure, but spills out onto the ground. Meanwhile, the red brick building is being dismantled, and bricks are scattered along the river edge.

July 29: Center Silo is Down to its Core
The center silo is whittled down to its core. The skyline view from McKinley Park is changed forever.