Project Overview
The former Western Electric plant in Kearny, New Jersey had been closed and sold for redevelopment years earlier. As the property was prepared for its next use, the developer determined that the site's main powerhouse and electrical substation buildings no longer fit the redevelopment plan.
Much of the interior equipment, including boilers, ductwork, and miscellaneous systems, had already been removed. In April 2015, the developer moved forward with complete demolition of the remaining powerhouse and substation structures.
Phoenix Equipment was selected to develop and execute a demolition plan around the site's physical and operational constraints. Implosion was not an option, so the project required a carefully controlled demolition sequence.
The Challenge
The powerhouse was a large steel-framed structure approximately 100 feet by 100 feet and 100 feet high, with brick exterior walls, an elevated concrete floor, and a concrete and steel coal bunker suspended from the roof structure. Two 200-foot-tall radial brick chimneys stood on the powerhouse roof.
The adjacent substation shared a party wall with the powerhouse, while active warehouse operations surrounded the demolition area. A narrow driveway immediately east of the buildings served as an emergency exit for one warehouse, and another active warehouse stood just north of the substation. The Hackensack River was approximately 90 feet west of the project, while underground water and gas lines serving the site were located south of the powerhouse.
These constraints ruled out implosion and required the demolition to be carefully sequenced and controlled. Phoenix needed to protect neighboring operations, maintain critical access routes, manage falling debris, and work around nearby utilities and groundwater conditions.
Preparing the Site for Demolition
While demolition permits were being secured, Phoenix began preparing the site for safe removal of the structures.Remaining asbestos was abated in both buildings. Phoenix protected the adjacent warehouse roofs with temporary coverings and erected sidewalk bridges along the north and east driveways to protect emergency access routes during the work.
Phoenix also opened the bottoms of both 200-foot brick chimneys in preparation for controlled manual demolition.
Controlled Demolition of the Powerhouse & Substation
Once demolition permits were issued, Phoenix began with the two radial brick chimneys. Scaffolding was attached to the chimneys to provide a work platform, and the structures were manually dismantled down to the powerhouse roof. The chimneys themselves were used as chutes to contain and direct the demolished masonry.
The substation was then demolished to grade using excavators equipped with shears and grapples. However, the powerhouse required a different approach because of its size, structural configuration, and proximity to neighboring facilities. Using manlifts as work platforms, crews sectionalized the steel structure and dropped or pulled controlled sections into the designated work area. The largest structural section pulled during the project weighed approximately 800 tons.
The sectionalized approach allowed Phoenix to control each structural pull within the limited work area without using implosion.
Foundations, Dewatering & Site Preparation
Demolition continued below grade after the primary structures were removed. Phoenix established an owner-revised dewatering system using Baker tanks, 6-inch pumps, and hoses to manage groundwater and river-water intrusion.
Basement slabs and foundations were removed as deeply as conditions allowed based on the capacity of the dewatering system. Masonry generated during demolition was crushed to approximately 1-inch-plus material and left on site.
Project Outcome
The powerhouse and substation were demolished without implosion while adjacent warehouse operations and emergency access routes remained protected throughout the project. The demolition generated approximately 2,500 tons of scrap steel and 50,000 pounds of copper cable for recovery and recycling. An additional 23,000 tons of masonry was crushed and left on site.
The project demonstrated how a controlled demolition methodology could be used to remove large industrial structures safely within a constrained redevelopment site.
Project Highlights
- Client Site: Former Western Electric Plant
- Location: Kearny, New Jersey
- Structures Removed: Powerhouse and Main Substation
- Powerhouse Size: Approximately 100 ft × 100 ft × 100 ft High
- Chimneys: Two 20-Foot-Diameter × 200-Foot-Tall Radial Brick Chimneys
- Largest Controlled Structural Pull: Approximately 800 Tons
- Site Constraints: Active Warehouses, Emergency Access Routes, Shared Wall, Underground Utilities and Nearby Hackensack River
- Phoenix Scope: Asbestos Coordination, Site Protection, Structural Demolition, Chimney Demolition, Dewatering, Foundation Removal, Scrap Recovery and Masonry Processing
- Scrap Steel Recovered: Approximately 2,500 Tons
- Copper Cable Recovered: Approximately 50,000 Pounds
- Masonry Processed: Approximately 23,000 Tons Crushed and Left On Site
Demolishing a Powerhouse Without Implosion
At the former Western Electric site, implosion was not an option. The surrounding warehouses, emergency access routes, underground utilities, shared structures, and nearby Hackensack River required a controlled demolition plan from the outset.
Phoenix combined manual chimney demolition, excavator work, sectionalized structural pulls, dewatering, and on-site material processing to remove the powerhouse and substation within those constraints. The result was a large industrial demolition project completed while protecting the surrounding site's ongoing use and redevelopment plans.