PBC Environmental in Kittery, Maine, conducted successful demolition and environmental abatement at a former hospital site, focusing on recycling materials and preserving historic elements. The project involved a team of 65+ workers over 8 months, working closely with developers to transform the old state street campus into market-rate apartments, commercial retail spaces, and self storage units.

Our team achieved significant progress in demolishing the Old Mercy Hospital Redevelopment project. During the demolition of the former Mercy Hospital, the ambulatory wing, which housed the old emergency building of the hospital, was taken down. The section needed to be surgically separated from the 1940’s historic structure remaining for redevelopment. This effort resulted in 480 TONS of metal being removed in over 50 truckloads and 3,668 CUBIC YARDS of concrete and masonry taken away in 262 truckloads, all for recycling purposes.

The PBCE project team then focused efforts to the interior of the remaining structure. That ongoing work included environmental abatement and the broad scale demolition and removal of the building’s 200,000 square foot interior back to the structure framing.

Precautions were first taken to protect the many known historic building elements. Throughout the process, the PBCE team uncovered previously unknown historic items such as columns and carvings from an old Chapel hidden above ceilings, in walls, and under floors. Their team worked with the owners, developers, construction manager, and historic society to surgically dismantle, expose, preserve and protect these items so the work could continue.

A big thank you to all those who contributed to the continuous success of this project. After 8 months, the demolition phase of the Former Mercy Hospital Redevelopment project was finalized! We are grateful for the chance to have been involved in this amazing journey! Special gratitude to our partners zachauconstruction, thenewheightgroup, and redfernproperties for letting us be part of this team. This project aims to develop much-needed market-rate apartments in collaboration with their nonprofit partners, Community Housing of Maine and the Portland Housing Authority.