Muskegon -
Take a deep breath...and let's remember the good 'ol pre-EPA days. Deconstruction of another remnant of a by-gone era, the iconic B.C. Cobb smoke stack in Muskegon - is ongoing -
An undated photo of the former B.C. Cobb Coal Power Plant in Muskegon (likely mid-1970s) -
Source:
MLive | Muskegon Chronicle Archive Photo
Work on the 650-foot-tall smoke stack at the former B.C. Cobb power plant started in November of last year, but now there are more visible signs of progress. The site is now owned by North Carolina-based Forsite Development, as of October 2017. Forsite plans to have the entire site cleared by October 2019, and then plans to build a deep-water marine terminal. The plant was closed by Consumers Energy in April of 2016. I think this is the last of the 'great' smoke stacks in Muskegon to come down. A stack at the former Shaw Walker factory site may possibly come down as well, but developers want to integrate it into the redevelopment plans if at all possible. That one is only a fraction of the height of the B.C. Cobb one though.
It's really hard to grasp the sheer size of this thing - it was taller than
One Detroit Center (Detroit's current 2nd-tallest) by about 30 feet - that is one hell of a ladder climb!
Source:
Justine McGuire | MLive
Source:
Justine McGuire | MLive
A recent view, showing it in greater context. I'm not sure how this photo was taken. The building in the background - The Shoreline Inn & Conference Center - looks much closer than it really is. Maybe that's just the perspective -
Source:
Joel Bissel | MLive
Here's an aerial view of the entire plant, from 2014 -
Source:
MLive | Marge Beaver - Photography Plus
And here is the stack under construction in 1974 -
Source:
MLive | Muskegon Chronicle Archive Photo
It was witness to some Greenpeace protests in the 1980's, when activists attempted to hang a banner from the top -
Source:
MLive | Muskegon Chronicle Archive Photo