Demolition begins on Prov. landmark

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A nearly century old Providence landmark is demolished.

Gas holder number 21 and a smaller holder were decommissioned in the 1970's and have been unused ever since.

On Wednesday crews with their hard hats and safety glasses removed holder number 21. The tank has been a looming fixture on Allens Avenue since 1910.

Back in the day, the tank stored manufactured gas used to heat the homes of tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders.

The holder had a capacity of nearly six million cubic feet and expanded upward as high as 216 feet as the gas was pumped into it and then pushed downward as the gas was fed into the local distribution system.

The steel from the tank will be recycled at several locations across the state. Crews from National Grid say since the tank was decommissioned it was of no use.

"The two holders that were here were collecting rain water so we were taking them down so they wouldn't continue to collect water and then over tub," said Michele Leone, National Grid remediation manager.

The complete demolition will take about a month.