The smokestack sent a spine-chilling shock down everyone’s back when it hit the ground this past April.

The colossal structure was decided to cascade by marking a line straight down the middle and demolish it from the middle down.

After the smokestack was demolished, the Bethel Park Administration Office sold over six hundred bricks on the first day.

Recently, I conducted an extensive interview with Dr. Jansante and asked him a variety of questions regarding the once historic BPHS smokestack.  I asked Dr. J, “why was it decided to fall the smokestack as opposed to taking it down from the top to the bottom?”  Dr. Jansante mentioned, “It was the demolition crew’s decision.”  Obviously, the company took precautions so the smokestack was taken down in a safely fashion.

In addition to the strategic plan to take down the smokestack, the architecture of the smokestack will imprint a legacy within the new structure of the Bethel Park High School; this is because the design of the entrance of the new BPHS resembles the old smokestack.  I asked Dr. Jansante if this was achieved and if it was an accurate representation.  Dr. Jansante responded, “Even though the pillar isn’t as tall as the smokestack, it was put in place to represent the smokestack; the representation was Dr. Knight’s idea.”

One may wonder, what was the history of the old smokestack?  In addition to an interview with Dr. Jansante, Mrs. Flotta commented:

“The only thing I know about the Smokestack was that it was one of the first things erected when the campus was constructed in the late 50s. The original high school was heated with coal. There were underground lines underneath the buildings and the smoke stack provided the heat for the school. It became antiquated as the heating systems improved over the decades and was not in use by the time the campus closed in January 2012. But it somehow became an unofficial symbol of the campus over the years.”

Also, Dr Jansante acknowledged, “The smokestack was built at the end of the 1950s.  The smokestack was used as a coal furnace and pipes ran underneath building five.  There were coal generated furnaces.  This was stopped in the early 90s when individual heating systems were installed.”

Furthermore, the smokestack will be replaced by eight tennis courts.  Another controversial topic that was asked was, “why did the smokestack need to come down?  Was there ever talk about keeping or moving the smokestack?”  Dr. Jansante responded with: “There was dicussion of keeping the smokestack but it needed to come down.”  Dr J also mentioned that the main reason the smokestack needed to come down was the way the tennis courts were designed.  The architects and construction team intially designed the courts a specific way.

Nevertheless, according to thousands of residents across Bethel Park, the smokestack will always be an iconic symbol that the Bethel Park High School was established upon.