Portland water tower set for explosive demolition

Staton Companies has been hired by the property owner and is on-site preparing for the safe demolition of the water-tower building which is located in northwest Portland.

Portland Fire & Rescue working with an engineer has established a safety perimeter in the event of a collapse – a minimum of 1.5 times the building height – to protect the public.

The city had instructed the property owner to begin removal of the water tank and demolition of the six-storey concrete mill no later than Friday 14 August.

It said in a statement that because the fire-damaged building is at risk of collapse, “the work requires specialised engineering, equipment, and demolition expertise to protect workers, adjacent infrastructure, the railroad, and the surrounding community.

“While everyone involved is committed to moving as quickly as possible, these factors require careful planning and coordination before demolition can safely begin.”

The City is discouraging anyone from flying drones over the site: “The building and its surroundings are currently an active crime scene, and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and Oregon laws may make it illegal to fly drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles over the site,” it said.

The original mill on the site was built in 1910 adjacent to the Willamette River in Portland. Crown Mills, known as Centennial Mills after 1949, was one of the largest producers of flour and milled grain in the Pacific Northwest, according to the Oregon Historical Society.