Demolition begins for old warehouse with Civil War history

They don’t build ’em like that anymore — that was the thought on many a spectator’s mind Wednesday as demolition crews moved in on the historic Miller Building, which once served as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War.

“I thought it would’ve fallen down a little faster,” said Earl Copes, marveling at the deteriorated building’s surprising resilience against the wrecking ball.

On Wednesday, a crew from W.E.L. Inc, of Concord, began methodically attacking the circa-1845 Miller Building with a small wrecking ball weighing nearly one-and-a-half tons.

The first strikes caused the back wall — already partially collapsed — to waver and wobble, but it took multiple swings before bricks started tumbling down.

“I’m amazed at how tough this building is,” said Steve Morris of Morris Construction, headquartered in an equally historic building across the street. “It’s in terrible condition, but look at it. You see that ball go at it with some pretty good swings, but it doesn’t come down.”

The Miller Building, named for tobacconist William Miller, was one of only two surviving Lynchburg tobacco warehouses converted into Confederate hospitals during the war. The other is the Knight Building, now occupied by Morris Construction.

In addition to serving as a hospital, the four-story Miller Building was a morgue — or “dead house” in the parlance of the period.

“It’s kind of fascinating,” said Harold Harris, 69, who watched the demolition from the vantage point of a nearby hill.

“I’d love to be able to get some of the wood. It’s stronger than what’s made today. Even though it’s old, it’s still strong.”

Leland Gibson, whose family owns the Miller Building, said they would be salvaging as much material as possible for re-sale.

When most of the eight-man demolition crew broke for lunch, a few stayed behind to sift through the wreckage using heavy machinery and began collecting piles of brick and wood.

Gibson, who used to live in Lynchburg but is now in South Carolina, drove all night Tuesday to make it here in time for the start of demolition.

When a neighboring property owner first called to tell him about last week’s collapse, Gibson said, “I had kind of a sick feeling in my stomach.”

But, he said, he held out hope the damage might be minor. He asked his son, who still resides locally, to take a picture for him.

“I thought maybe just a few bricks had fallen out. But then I saw the pictures and said, ‘ooh, wow, that’s a lot bigger than I thought’.”

The collapse, which officials suspect was caused by age and weather damage, ripped out a wide swath of the back wall from the top story to the ground level. A structural engineer examined what still stood and recommended it all be torn down immediately.

Bill Litchford, president of W.E.L. Inc., said they hoped to get the building knocked down by Friday and clear the site by Sunday or Monday. Once the building itself is down, the crew will have to clean up the debris and fill in the basement.

The demolition started with the rear wall and will make its way toward the front of the building, which sits directly along the narrow Dunbar Drive.

At that point, crews will cease using the wrecking ball and start using a “clamshell” — a type of heavy machinery with pinchers — to pull the rest of the building back, ensuring it doesn’t fall forward onto the street or neighboring buildings.

The wrecking ball used Wednesday was small but powerful, alternately swinging directly into the building or rising up and dropping down from above like a hammer. The pendulum, which weighed about 2,900 pounds, dangled off a set of tires, used to absorb the shock and prevent the repeat collisions from rattling the cab of the crane, where the operator sits.

Each time a hit was successful, inciting a slow avalanche of bricks and beams, the crew sprayed the building with water to tamp down the dust flying into the air.

Wednesday morning’s work drew a slow trickle of spectators.

Neil Bohnert, of Lynchburg’s Historic Preservation Commission, stopped by with his 5-year-old grandson to see the demolition.

“I’m sad to see the building go, not only from the standpoint of being on the Historic Preservation Commission, but as a neighbor,” said Bohnert, who lives in the nearby Federal Hill Historic District.

The Historic Preservation Commission, an oversight body appointed by City Council, does not have jurisdiction over the Miller Building because it is not in a local historic district.

Bohnert said he had long admired the building for its historic value, though.

“I always appreciated the fact that it was there,” he said. “… It’s very sad to see this piece of history be demolished.”