Historic Social Street Mill Building Demolition Underway

Half of the historic mill building at 781 Social St. was gone by 1 p.m. after the city's building inspector declared it unsafe, giving R&P Constuction of Johnston the go-ahead to start demolition.

R&P Construction owner Pete St. Lawrence demonstrated an impressive range of skill with the excavator, knocking over pieces of wall, tearing out beams and picking apart pieces of pipe one at a time.

Police still had Social Street from Elm Street to Mill Street blocked off, and were directing pedestrians to say on the opposite sidewalk for their safety, nonetheless. Occasional bits of debris and dust settled on the building's side of the double yellow lines.

"They say he can pick up a toothpick with that claw," said Albert Beauparlant, an associate of Lawerence's.

Beauparlant said St. Lawrence picked up the paperwork declaring the old mill structure, built by the Jenks company in 1828, unsound from the city building inspector's office at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The company also got a permit for the demoliton.

Beauparlant said the back wall of the building, butting up against and towering over Shaw's Meats, was cracked and set to fall over. That would have weakened the street-facing side, too, he said.

The building will be mostly leveled by the end of the day, Beauparlant said, though the entire project, including separating pipes, beams and granite then leveling the site with clean fill, will take about three days.

R&P Constuction took down about 150 houses near T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, and was also called in to demolish a tank farm to make way for Conley's Wharf on Allens Avenue in Providence.

Beauparlant said St. Lawrence told him the building inspector's office was very efficient and professional in their action on the property.

Building Inspector Chris Chianese could not be reached for comment.