Demo Day. The chimney

During the development of the 2019 building preservation assessment report, one item that was identified was the need to remove the flue-lined brick chimney from the building. When the subject was covered in a monthly project meeting, two volunteers stood up looking to take on the task of demolishing this structure.

The chimney had not been used in many years. It was capped off under the roof about 2.5 stories up. Leo Racine and Steve Regal worked with the Town Library to determine the best time to do the work, mostly during off-hours. Over a November weekend, they undertook the job.  
The Library Children’s Room was draped in plastic. A hole was saw-cut into the chimney so that the bricks could be dropped down to the ground floor brick by brick, one at a time. A chute was fashioned out of wood so the bricks were funneled into a wheelbarrow. The bricks were removed by a pickup truck with a trailer.

Interesting find – As the chimney came down through the 2nd floor, an old newspaper was discovered as packing around the floor-ceiling area near the plaster ceiling of the 1st floor. The publication was a partial page of the Boston Herald newspaper with a date of Thursday, October 28, 1948.  

About 200 bricks were in good enough condition to be saved. There is an idea being discussed for a future fundraiser to help raise money for the repair and restoration of the building’s old windows.