Within the next month, about 70 pounds of explosives will be used to demolish the final remains of Avondale Mills. The brick smokestack will be leveled; leaving the property that once housed one of Pell City’s most prominent landmarks completely bare.

The Avondale Mills textile company was founded in 1897, opening locations throughout the state of Alabama. In 1919, Avondale bought the Pell City location, off of U.S. 231, from Pell City Manufacturing Company. Avondale Mills became a constant in the Pell City community for nearly a century.

The mill remained opened in Pell City 87 years, employing thousands of St. Clair County residents. David Murphy was a manager at the mill and worked for Avondale for 33 years.

“I am saddened to see it demolished,” Murphy said. “I think it would be great if it didn’t have to completely come down. If the city could preserve some of it, for historic reasons, that would be wonderful.”

Murphy spent over three decades with the company and knows what an importance it held to the people who worked for Avondale. Not only those who were employed by the mill, but by the entire town.

“Personally, Avondale played a critical role in my career,” Murphy said. “It was instrumental in my life and in the lives of everyone in Pell City. The city would not be what it is today without the mill, and I’m sad to see what’s left of it removed.”

The impact Avondale had on the city of Pell City is unquestionable. The silhouette of the mill is engraved in the city’s seal, another symbol of how instrumental it was in the creation and growth of the area’s economy. Murphy said Avondale and Pell City were synonymous for decades, as the mill consistently brought in new residents to the area.

“Pell City owes its existence to Avondale,” Murphy said. “It helped grow the city to become what it is today.”

In 2006, Avondale shut down operations, including the Pell City operation. Murphy said the decision was disappointing, but it wasn’t a huge surprise to people in the industry.

“While most people didn’t expect it to close as soon as it did, it wasn’t a shock,” Murphy said. “The industry was evolving, there was more outsourcing, and as business moved to other parts of the globe, it made sense that the Pell City mill closed.”

After standing in its location for over a century, the vacated mill’s main building burned down in 2008, leaving the smokestack behind. The City purchased the one-acre property in 2010.

Now, five years later during the Pell City City Council meeting on Nov. 9, the council approved the demolition of the Avondale Mill smokestack. This decision comes after an examination of the property, noting the disintegration of the smokestack.

Inspections of the smokestack began back in 2008 after the fire. In a stability report, performed by Barnett, Jones, Wilson, LLC, structural engineers determined that the bricks towards the top of the smokestack were patched with Portland cement. This, according to the report, is considered bad practice because of how brittle the patches become. It can cause bricks to fail and ultimately result in the collapse of the smokestack if not properly maintained.

However, upkeep on the structure would involve a costly process of lengthy repairs and periodic observation. In 2008, John Jones estimated it would cost more than $250,000 to fully repair the structure.

City Manager Brian Muenger said environmental testing would take place Nov. 23-24, and he expected demolition to take place by the end of the month.

According to Muenger, bricks are loosening from mortar and falling off the smokestack. In addition to the loose bricks, erosion is occurring on the smokestack and birds are causing damage to the remaining bricks. Inspections indicated that the removal of the smokestack would be the safest option for the future of the property.

The explosion from the demolition will not be major, nor is it expected to cause any damage to the mill property or surrounding properties. The explosion itself is considered to be less than a third of the strength needed to cause any damage to surrounding areas.

“We would not be conducting the demolition in this manner if we thought that it posed even a moderate threat of damaging property,” Muenger said.

At the City Council meeting, there was discussion about saving the bricks from the tower and having them available for engraving, but no final decision was made as to what to do with the bricks after demolition is completed. Demolition will be performed by Phoenix Services of Alabama, LLC and pre-blast inspections will be handled by Sauls Seismic.