Plans in 2016 had called for the old building to be converted into a commercial space, possibly for use by the city Department of Public Utilities. In 2019, DPU nixed the idea because of the cost of removing asbestos and other contaminants from the 11-acre site.
The demolition has been in the works since July 2020. The site was best known for an iconic 60-foot-tall metal work called a gasometer that surrounded the empty, below-ground storage tanks. The gasometer has been carefully removed and could later be reinstalled as a piece of public art. More than $4.3 million has been invested to clear the old structures and remove contaminated soil from the property, which is envisioned as an East End development site.
