Neighbors caught off guard by demolition of shuttered Smith Foundry in Minneapolis

By: Andrew Hazzard, Sahan Journal

Demolition work began Wednesday on Smith Foundry, shocking residents of Minneapolis’ East Phillips neighborhood who say they weren’t informed that the building, which closed last summer following federal pollution violations, would be torn down and are concerned about pollution risks. 

Smith Foundry closed in August after reaching a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Federal regulators accused the century-old foundry of violating the Clean Air Act over a five-year period from 2018 to 2023, which put public health and the environment at risk. The business was fined $80,000 and opted to close the site instead of pursuing a new use for the building. 

But residents were caught off guard by the demolition and feel blindsided that the city did not communicate with neighbors beforehand, according to Luke Gannon, program manager at the East Phillips Improvement Coalition, the neighborhood’s nonprofit organization. 

“It’s a total hit to [members of] our community who have spent so long organizing to shut it down, and to not have the honor of notifying us is horrible,” Gannon said. 

The city of Minneapolis approved a wrecking permit for the building on Feb. 20, according to city spokeswoman Jess Olstad. The permit application was submitted in December 2024. It did not go before the Planning Commission or the City Council. 

“City staff monitoring the site today say the demolition is being done with care, and crews are mitigating dust control,” Olstad said in an email. “The demolition will be done in stages.”

The work will start with the removal of the building, followed by testing and then the removal of the foundation, according to a copy of the permit obtained by Sahan Journal. Neighbors are concerned about pollution that could be unearthed and dispersed during the demolition, Gannon said. 

Smith Foundry began operating in the 1920s and is located near the site of an old arsenic factory. The surrounding area was declared a federal Superfund site in 2007, and the EPA removed tons of soil from surrounding properties in the late 2000s and early 2010s. 

Preventing soil contaminants from becoming airborne in a demolition is generally done by watering down the area to control dust, scientists told Sahan Journal in 2023, when the city was on the verge of demolishing the Roof Depot building across the street from Smith Foundry. 

Doug Gurian-Sherman, a retired EPA scientist who lives near the foundry, came to observe the demolition Wednesday. He said he saw a tall cloud of dark dust churned up the site. He saw crews watering down the debris, which he said is good, but he remains concerned about the process. He was told there are no air monitors on site to measure pollution levels. 

“I’m just highly skeptical that you’re going to have demolition of a site like this without impacting the public health and the environment around it,” Gurian-Sherman said. 

The city did not immediately answer questions about whether it had notified neighbors about the demolition. Gannon said the neighborhood association was not informed, and that he was told that the permit only required immediate neighbors of the site to be told in advance. Smith Foundry’s only immediate neighbor, asphalt producer Bituminous Roadways, closed in 2024. 

The contractor sent letters notifying two adjacent buildings on Cedar Avenue of the demolition in December, according to the city.

“There’s no plan, and there never seems to be with the city,” Gannon said. 

The demolition raises questions about the future of the site, but no official plans have been brought forward to the neighborhood association. The land is still owned by Neil Ahlstrom, who operated Smith Foundry until 2022 when he sold it to Canadian firm Zynik Capital, according to Hennepin County property records. 

• Minneapolis will explore pedestrian plan for George Floyd Square after council overrides mayor’s veto
• ‘Come back strong’: 19 Bar reopens in Minneapolis nearly a year after major fire
• Minneapolis, St. Paul join lawsuit against president over immigration enforcement