The first hole was knocked into the IRS “Flat Top” building in Covington on Monday.
Observers said it was “almost gentle” the way that O’Rourke Wrecking Co. construction site superintendent Chris Ferguson drove the Caterpillar Excavator forward into position, then tapped against the facility’s southern wall.
The jarring sound of breaking glass and falling brick did what the obligatory speechifying could not: It signaled a definitive end to a five-decade era.
On Monday, which was also uncoincidentally Tax Day, the City of Covington held a quick ceremony to mark the official start to the demolition of the complex where thousands of IRS employees processed tax returns from 1967 until 2019.
The ceremony began with Mayor Joe Meyer, flanked by a handful of state legislators Rep. Buddy Wheatley, Sen. Chris McDaniel and Vice Mayor Ron Washington – saying a few words about the site’s history and the vision for the future, and O’Rourke’s vice president of operations Jeff Sizemore vowing to direct a painless and smooth site-clearing process.
The ceremony ended with about two minutes of work by Ferguson to knock a hole in the wall and then the roof while onlookers’ cheer.
