Universal Atlas Cement (Penn Hills)

Universal Atlas Cement, formerly a division of United States Steel, operated a cement manufacturing plant in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania.

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Universal Atlas Cement, formerly a division of United States Steel Corporation (USS), operated a cement manufacturing plant in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. The facility closed in 1979.

History

Universal Atlas Cement constructed a cement manufacturing plant in Penn Hills in 1906. ²

A major modernization program was undertaken between 1953 and 1955. ² During this work, 38 smokestacks were replaced with two central towers connected to electrostatic precipitators and dust collectors to reduce smoke and airborne cement dust. Four aging buildings were demolished and replaced with three new structures.

Further environmental improvements followed in the early 1970s. In 1971, glass dust collectors were installed on the raw material blending bins and cement storage silos. During a plant shutdown in February and March 1972, additional glass dust collectors and a clinker-drying facility were installed. ^{5 6} The upgraded system reduced dust emissions by 96%; prior to installation, the plant emitted up to 24 tons of cement dust per day.

On November 27, 1979, U.S. Steel (USS) announced significant cutbacks at 16 plants affecting 13,000 workers. ^{4 7} The reductions included idling two Universal Atlas facilities in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania and in Buffington, Indiana, affecting 180 employees.

In February 1980, USS announced plans to sell its cement division to Lehigh Portland Cement Company, a subsidiary of Heidelberger Zement A.G. of Germany, for $100 million. ⁴ The sale was completed on September 8. ³

In 1993, Lehigh sold the Penn Hills plant to MM&G Associates, a used-equipment sales company, for $500,000. ^{8 9} MM&G intended to sell the machinery, demolish the buildings, and market the cleared property for redevelopment. Two separate demolition contractors were hired; one absconded with funds, and the other declared bankruptcy. The equipment sold was shipped to a Colombian cement company that failed to remit payment.

MM&G subsequently stopped paying property taxes. ¹⁰ A sheriff’s sale was scheduled for November 6, 2006, but was avoided when Erekson Corporation agreed to acquire MM&G. The total cost of the abandoned plant and its 206 acres—together with approximately $500,000 in delinquent taxes—exceeded $1 million. ¹ Erekson proposed constructing 250 single-family homes and a light industrial park on the former cement plant site. ^{1 10}

However, Erekson later filed for bankruptcy to avert another sheriff’s sale. ¹ The company made only one payment on a six-month bridge loan before defaulting.

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Gallery

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Sources

1. Larussa, Tony. “Universal Atlas plant in Penn Hills escapes sheriff’s sale.” TribLive 6 Nov. 2008. Web.
2. “Cement Plant is Modernized.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1 Oct. 1953: 25. Print.
3. “USS Completes Sale.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 9 Sept. 1980: 23. Print.
4. “USS Selling Cement Division to W. Germans.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 16 Feb. 1980: 1. Print.
5. “Universal Breathes Easier as USS ‘Dusts Off’ Plant.” Pittsburgh Press 15 Feb. 1972: 23. Print.
6. Watson, Wyndle. “Cement Plant Vows Clean Air.” Pittsburgh Press 28 Apr. 1970: 8. Print.
7. Williams, Jonathan. “USS Drops Some Losing Operations.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 28 Nov. 1979: 1. Print.
8. Jewell, Tom. “Dilapidated plant’s future uncertain.” TribLive 20 Aug. 2001. Web.
9. Belser, Ann. “Highway may be the road out of town for salvage operator.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 22 Aug. 2001: Web.
10. Semmes, Ben. “New life for big brownfield.” Pittsburgh Business Times 13 Nov. 2006. Web.