LEXINGTON, N.C. — The corners of E 5th Avenue and E 5th Avenue Extension were the front row seats of the demolition.
Longtime residents watched from their vehicles as what stood of Old Dixie fell to the ground.
Once a furniture plant built in 1901, the Lexington Home Brands Plant 1 in downtown Lexington was turned to rubble and ash after a massive fire the morning of December 19, 2017.
The iconic smokestack still stood among the rubble, but it finally came down on Monday after City leaders came to the conclusion that the cost of keeping it up was more than that of tearing it down.
On his way to work, Mr. Caleb Holt, a life-long Lexington resident decided to stop by and witness it for himself.
“I just you know stopped here for a few minutes take a look,” Holt said during an interview. “Since I can remember it’s always been there.”
On the other side of the demolition, Donald Van Hyning, who moved to Lexington in 1975, watched the building he describes as one that was once “going strong.”
For many, the demolition of the iconic smokestack marks the end of an era for the City of Lexington, but for the city’s mayor, Newell Clark, it’s more foreshadowing of a new beginning.
“We haven’t lost our history, it’s still there,” Clark said. “What we witnessed yesterday was kind of that hard moment for everyone to say, ‘You know what? It’s time to move on.’”
Clark says most of what remains of Old Dixie has been leased or sold.
A final sale is expected soon for a new development that will contribute to the city’s progression.
“I think folks will be very excited to find out what that project will entail,” Clark added.