The city of Chicago has halted the demolition of the historic Damen Silos due to “excessive dust,” according to 12th Ward Ald. Julia Ramirez.
Ramirez said the city’s Department of Public Health has issued a “stop work order” at the site, which is near South Damen Avenue along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near the Stevenson Expressway.
The demolition began in July but stopped Wednesday. It’s on hold until the health department, which is responsible for making sure that dust is contained, has reviewed a revised demolition plan from the owner and contractor.
The city’s Department of Buildings also has to sign off on the plan.
In a statement, city health officials said the work was stopped “out of an abundance of caution” and that only one structure with two silos remain after months of demolition.
“Work continues on the site to remove [and] recycle materials that have already been taken down and to prepare enhanced measures to protect public health and the environment,” the statement said. “All demolition activities will resume when an updated dust mitigation plan is approved.”
The former grain silos, which have been idle for decades, and the more than 20 acres around the structures were bought by city contractor Michael Tadin Jr. and his family in 2022.
Tadin purchased the property from Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration for $6.5 million. Tadin declined to comment on the work stoppage and hasn’t said what he will do with the land once the silos are torn down.
Tadin was unswayed by community and preservationists’ appeals to save the structures and somehow repurpose them.
The work — wih Heneghan Wrecking as the demolition contractor — is viewed by city officials as an “environmentally complex” demolition because of the size of the job and the potential for creating harmful pollution, such as massive amounts of dust.
Heneghan officials didn’t return a call seeking comment.
The environmentally complex term was created after the 2020 Crawford coal plant implosion in Little Village that left the community blanketed in dust.
At the time, Chicago officials gave a private developer, Hilco Redevelopment, the go-ahead to take down an almost 400-foot chimney at the coal plant through implosion.
There are no implosions allowed with the Damen Silos.