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| The American Bridge office building under construction, Beaver County Times, August 20, 1974 |
The photo is from what appears to be a supplement to the Beaver County Times on August 20, 1974, celebrating Old Economy's 150th Anniversary. The photo isn't the best quality, but it's the only photo of the office's construction I've found so far.
The text under the photo says:
A 1903 construction photo of the Ambridge plant shows the main office building on Park Road. The plant had its beginning in 1900, when officials from the Berlin Iron Co. purchased 40 acres from the Harmony Society to build a steel fabrication facility.Now, 110 years later, the building, empty for 30 years or so, neglected, vandalized, and deteriorating, is coming down. On November 30 and December 16, 2013, I posted photos documenting the condition of the office's exterior walls when their demolition hadn't yet started. These new photos from P.J. Shotter and Denise Kosis, taken last week, show the early stages of the demolition of the exterior. Soon, the great Ambridge building will be gone.
Thank you P.J. Shotter and Denise Kosis. More photos should be posted soon.
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| Demolition of American Bridge office building, February, 2014, credit: Denise Kosis, used with permission |
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| Demolition of American Bridge office building, February, 2014, credit: P. J. Shotter, used with permission |
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| Demolition of American Bridge office building, February, 2014, credit: P. J. Shotter, used with permission |
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| Demolition of American Bridge office building, February, 2014, credit: Denise Kosis, used with permission |
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| Demolition of American Bridge office building, February, 2014, credit: Denise Kosis, used with permission |
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| Demolition of American Bridge office building, February, 2014, credit: P. J. Shotter, used with permission |
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| Demolition of American office building, February, 2014, credit: Demise Kosis, used with permission |
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| Demolition of American Bridge office building, February, 2014, credit: P. J. Shotter, used with permission |
I have stories of being inside that building where my father worked most of his life. Time for it to go. I just wonder what kind of piece of crap car dealership or weedy lot or discount retailer will replace it as a gateway to town. I hope the town enforces some kind zoning or planning control over how it's used -- but it's hard to be optimistic about current decision-makers having that kind of insight. Is there any public pressure to influence the way its used?
ReplyDeletejd aka john domansky
Deletegood thoughts for a better future of ambridge, i hope too that something of quality should be there.
i wonder what happened to the bricks that built the ABco, did they just be discarded or what, if a smart person was around, they could have sold one brick as momentos from the ABco. many persons would have lined up to get some, too much history there just to waste.
rustbeltboy, i read your blog & it was just great, down to earth & no punches pulled. i liked your steel mill memories, so much like mine, worked 45 yrs in a union afl cio then uswa, 1950 to 1995, started & quit in dec. now all i want to do is retire from retirement. i worked much OT then came home & refinished furniture, cut meat a while, almost a full time antique dealer still yet. once in a while i ask myself am i getting up or going to bed.
i wonder how anbridge did run so well early days?? i never believed people when they told me how bad ambridge had become. your blog set me straight.