The demolition of four Leland Street homes abandoned after they were polluted by defunct hazardous-waste management company General Chemical began Monday.
The blighted homes have stood for years as a painful reminder of the devastation wrought on the Southside neighborhood by cancer-causing contaminants that spread underground from General Chemical, which spilled, leaked and possibly dumped the dangerous chemicals it handled on its Leland Street property for decades.
When the contamination reached the houses, located downhill from General Chemical, residents were forced to move out. Since then, the vacant homes have steadily decayed. Windows were smashed. Trash accumulated. Brambles grew up around the homes foundations.