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Demolition Crews to Return Friday Morning to Tear Former Brewery Down in Mahanoy City

MAHANOY CITY — Demolition crews were busy at work Thursday afternoon, tearing down the former Kaier Brewery on Main Street in Mahanoy City. Borough offici...

MAHANOY CITY -- Demolition crews were busy at work Thursday afternoon, tearing down the former Kaier Brewery on Main Street in Mahanoy City.

Borough officials fear the building is in danger of collapsing. So earlier this week, they shut down the roads surrounding the building and evacuated homes and two businesses nearby by.

Then, they called in a demolition crew from Lackawanna County to bring it down.

“The building's putting up more of a fight than they anticipated,” said Mahanoy City Fire Chief Daniel Markiewicz. “They're changing blades on the machinery so they can move to their next step so they can cut the steel so it will go a little faster. They exposed all the brick and worked the outside in and now they're going to start cutting the steel.”

Despite working for more than five hours, crews were unable to level the building.

“You would think the way they hit that right side there earlier in the afternoon that the whole thing would have flatten but they don't make things like they used to,” said Danielle Kapes.

Even though snow is expected, work is set to resume first thing in the morning.

“I believe with this being sort of an emergency situation the contractors have made provisions to deal with that to get this done,” said Chief Markiewicz.

While people in the borough are happy to hear they plan to work through the snow in an effort to get people back in their homes and the roads reopened, they are sad to see their old brewery go.

“It's been a part of the town's history for how many years,” said Jeanette Wiekrykas.

“History, just a piece of history of Mahanoy City, it's just something,” said Kapes.

The Department Of Environmental Protection also has a crew on scene, monitoring air quality while demolition work is being done.

The fire chief says crews are expected to be back at the building Friday morning at 7:30.

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