Demolition of Pillsbury Mills Site Officially Begins

With several dozen residents looking on, demolition began Thursday on the first of the larger structures at the former Pillsbury Mills site in Springfield as a 5,300 pound wrecking ball took down a 160-foot-tall smokestack.

Moving Pillsbury Forward’s Chris Richmond called the day “bittersweet” but said it’s good to see progress toward reclaiming the deteriorated property.

Richmond said demolition is underway on the five-story grocery mix building and will move on to the nine-story C-mill over the next several months.