Ovaltine smokestack becomes dust in Villa Park

Villa Park's most noticeable landmark, the last remaining Ovaltine smokestack, came crumbling down in a matter of moments late Wednesday afternoon.

After standing tall for more than seven decades near Villa and Kenilworth avenues, the 217-foot-high chimney was imploded about 4:50 p.m. while hundreds of people watched.

A gasp could be heard in the crowd as the smokestack buckled and the top section fell westward and struck an apartment building, damaging some garage doors. The surrounding buildings were evacuated earlier in the day.

"It was exciting, thrilling," said Ovaltine resident Michelle Cychosz, who said her heart jumped when the chimney buckled. "I hate to see it go."

Several onlookers said it was impressive to see firsthand the towering structure fall. One man videotaped it with plans to upload it to youtube.com, and a Discovery Channel crew tape it for the cable station's "Destroyed in Seconds" show.

"It was a pretty cool," said Jim Menet, a Villa Park resident. "I feel like a piece of nostalgia is gone. I miss it already."

Lincoln Properties, which transformed the long-shuttered factory into apartments in 2001, cited safety concerns as the reason to raze the towering chimney.

In June, village officials considered salvaging the deteriorating smokestack but determined the cost would be too much. It would have cost between $225,000 to $500,000 to restore the structure to a state that would last 10 to 15 years, officials said.

"It's sad," Trustee John Davis said.

Residents and other bystanders expressed mixed views about the smokestack's demolition. Several said they would've liked to see it towering over Villa Park like a sentry for years to come, but they understood the financial and safety reasons for demolishing it.

"I wish it would've stayed up for sentimental reasons. It's historical," said Bensenville resident Hubert Blume.

Blume's father worked at the factory and his responsibilities included cleaning out the towering chimney each summer despite his fear of heights. The Blume family celebrated many occasions over the years with fellow factory employees and their broods, such as summer picnics with carnival rides on-site and Christmas parties, he said.

"It was a family company," Blume said.

The Ovaltine factory closed in the mid-1980s after manufacturing the popular powdered chocolate drink and other food items for roughly 70 years.

According to local lore, Ovaltine not only tended to its employees but also provided milk to other needy residents during the Great Depression.

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