THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 9, 1995 TAG: 9507090190
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERRI WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
They came at 5:30 a.m., with camcorders, cameras and lawn chairs.
They stood on rooftops. They brought their children.
It was their last chance to see the old Planter's Peanuts factory, a long-standing neighbor for 82 years, brought to the ground by a ton of dynamite.
At 7 a.m. Saturday, Controlled Demolition Inc., the Baltimore-based company that leveled the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, reduced the eight-story plant at Johnson Avenue and Culloden Street to a massive pile of rubble to make way for a municipal parking lot, which will be leased by Planters.
Last August, Planters opened a $35 million plant directly across the street from the Johnson Avenue plant.
Demolition crews and police said there were no injuries or problems.
However, a few houses on Culloden and Madison streets temporarily lost electrical power because of the shock, said Suffolk police spokesman Mike Simpkins. About 30 houses adjacent to the plant were evacuated hours before the implosion for safety precautions, and nearby streets were closed. Residents returned shortly afterward.
Controlled Demolition Inc. Vice President Doug Loizeaux said cleanup crews are expected to clear the 700-square-foot area by today.
``Our primary goal is to get everything back in order,'' said Loizeaux.
Compared to the now-famous implosion in Oklahoma City, the Planter's Peanut plant leveling was business as usual, said Loizeaux.
``There were no bodies. This was not a distressed building. It was fairly routine,'' said Loizeaux.
But ``routine'' is not the way longtime residents and employees of Planters would describe the implosion that lasted only seven seconds.
Most arrived between 5 and 6 a.m. for good spots to the see the event. Hundreds lined East Washington Street, which runs parallel to the side of the southside downtown plant. Others crowded the Main Street Bridge.
Caleb Young, an Army communications specialist, brought his camcorder and 11-year-old twin sons. He was filming the implosion to show his youngest son, 4.
``I want him to know that this was more than just a building being blown up,'' said Young, who once worked there. ``It's a big day because Planters has so much history.''
Yet Young said it's good the company tore down the old building in order to bring new growth and businesses to downtown.
``We're dying,'' he said of Suffolk. ``So maybe if we see new traditions, we can get new blood here.''
And the advent of a new era at Planters came with a bang.
``Fifteen seconds!'' a demolition crew woman yelled, signaling the impending boom.
The crowd looked up.
``Two seconds!'' she yelled again.
There was a pregnant pause, and then suddenly the ground began to rumble and shake. Several loud booms filled the air. Like a giant percolator that had expanded beyond belief, the old building sputtered, heaved and shot glass. The landmark smokestack with the Planters emblem tilted to the side. The building came down in a shower of dust.
The crowd erupted in shouts and rousing applause. Cameras were clicking; videotape was rolling.
In the midst of all the revelry, one woman, Eula Williams, stood alone in her sadness and cried.
Williams, Suffolk Circuit Court deputy clerk, said she and her family at one time lived only a few blocks from the plant. She had fond memories of seeing the Christmas tree perched atop the plant during holidays. Several other relatives worked there.
``It's just part of the community, and now it's gone,'' said Williams, wiping away the tears. ``It hurts, but I guess that's progress.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
JOHN H. SHEALLY II/Staff
The implosion of the 82-year-old Planter's Peanut Factory, which was
reduced to rubble Saturday morning to make way for a municipal
parking lot, drew a large crowd of spectators who viewed the event
as the advent of a new era.
by CNB