Demolition of iconic smokestack at Michigan State stokes backlash
A visual icon at Michigan State University is scheduled for demolition this summer, tearing a rift in the campus community.
The MSC smokestack, which has served as a guiding landmark for disoriented students on the campus since its construction in 1948, is being torn down because the tower is deteriorating and runs the risk of falling, the university said.
“Although I understand and even agree with the reasons for the destruction of the MSC smokestack, I’m sure I’ll tear up the first time I ride my bike on Shaw Lane and notice that it’s missing,” said Emily Syrja, a junior who said she was inspired to attend the university by her grandmother, a 1952 graduate of the then-called Michigan State College.
The 70 metre (230-foot) tall tower, built as an addition to the Shaw Lane Power Plant near Spartan Stadium, features the letters “MSC” along the side in white bricks. The school changed its name in 1955.
The plant was shut down in 1975 when it could no longer handle the power needs of the school and the smokestack has fallen into disrepair.
Recent inspections found that the mortar joints in the tower’s top 35 feet have deteriorated and run the risk of falling down, MSU spokesman Kent Cassella said in a statement. A wire cage was installed around the top to keep the bricks anchored, and a fence has been placed 150 feet around the base of the tower for safety.
Read more here.
