Gilpin officials host tour of Schenley Industrial Park with eyes on redevelopment
An industrial park dating to 1888 is rolling out a commerce welcome mat in Armstrong County.
That’s the message from Gilpin Supervisors Chairman Charles Stull as he spearheads efforts to attract businesses to the location that once housed the largest distillery in the U.S., The Schenley Distilling Co.
Gilpin officials hosted an invitation-only tour of the Schenley Industrial Park on Aug. 28, introducing attendees to several current tenants in the park that once served as headquarters to Schenley Distilling.
The park is tucked away near the junction of the Kiski and Allegheny rivers. Abandoned distillery buildings remain.
The tour was co-sponsored by the Gilpin Township Industrial and Economic Development Advisory Committee, Armstrong Terminal and BPI Inc.
BPI Inc., an industrial minerals supplier, the Schenley Yacht Club, Armstrong Terminal Inc. and Senjan Machine Inc. are park tenants.
Attendees toured the park for several hours, participating in a Q&A session with representatives from each business.
“They toured the park as well as the interior of many buildings while discussing the current operations, possibilities of expansion and growth, and the repurposing of vacant buildings,” Stull said.
Leechburg Area School Director Andrew Pallus was in attendance and hopes more businesses take note of the potential opportunities at the park.
“My message to potential businesses? You’re welcome here, and you are wanted here,” Pallus said in an interview Saturday. “Our community has elected officials who are here to help you. All you have to do is reach out.”
Pallus added the park has “enormous potential.” He said Gilpin offers low taxes and the park buildings offer ample space and river access.
“Everything a potential business could want and need,” he said.
The goal of the advisory committee is to advise the Gilpin supervisors on matters dealing with the expansion and advancement of industrial and economic development within the township.
“The committee aims to create a diverse business community that is prosperous and innovative, while being built on a stable economic foundation,” Stull said.
Tour participants included Leechburg Area School District Superintendent Tiffany Nix; school board members Ashley Coudriet, Pallus and president Anthony Shea; state Rep. Abby Major; U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R, 15th); and Darin Alviano of the Armstrong County Industrial Development Council.
Nix expressed gratitude to Stull for organizing the tour.
“I’m grateful school district officials were included,” Nix said. “I learned so much. The companies are very impressive. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the growth in Schenley in the years to come.”
Gilpin Township industrial committee members are Stull, Jeremy Smail, Terri Smith, Ashley Coudriet, Beth McDonald, Lisa Richards and Kristi Heichel.
Steve Senjan, owner of Senjan Machine Inc., said choosing to set up shop in the industrial park was a “no-brainer.”
Senjan recently renovated sections of a 12,000-square-foot building for his machining and fabrication business.
“We had bought property in Parks Township, but the hassle of building a new building was super expensive, plus there was the nightmare of permits and engineering fees, ” Senjan said. “When the building in Schenley came up for sale, we bought it in 2020.”
The building Senjan purchased once served as the distillery’s maintenance shop.
“We’ll be doing pretty much the same type of work that the building was intended for, which is pretty cool,” Senjan said. “It’s been great down there. All the other businesses have been great neighbors. And now we have so much more room to grow.”
Heichel, business development and marketing manager of Armstrong Terminal Inc., is looking to shine the spotlight on the park.
“The property has a lot of potential because of its prime location,” Heichel said. “I do believe it’s a little gem that not a lot of people know is there, and we want to bring awareness to this.”
Heichel said plans are in the works for Armstrong Terminal to install a new dock in mid-2024 that will accommodate three barges instead of one.
“That will bring more jobs to the terminal because we have more product and will have to hire more individuals to meet product demand,” Heichel said.
A complete list of businesses in Gilpin can be viewed at gilpintwp.com/business.html.
The public is invited to attend committee meetings, held at 6 p.m. the first Monday of each month at the Gilpin Township Municipal Building.
Schenley Distilling: A brief history
Founded in 1888 with five warehouses and a 10,000-barrel capacity, The Schenley Distilling Co. is named for heiress Mary Schenley, whose father was Col. William Croughan Jr.
The family owned large tracts of land in Western Pennsylvania, and at one time the village of Schenley was home to about 150 people.
Pre-Prohibition, the company employed 30 men. Among memorable events was a 1912 warehouse fire that resulted in the loss of more than 100 barrels of whiskey valued at $350,000.
Post-Prohibition, the distillery became one of the largest producers of whiskey and other related spirits in the world. Employment swelled to about 2,000.
At the height of its production, around 1933-37, the company was considered to be the largest distiller in America. It boasted 67 buildings, including a bowling alley and auditorium, on 60 acres.
During World War II, Schenley switched operations to producing war alcohol, important in manufacturing synthetic rubber and explosives.
Artillery guns were stationed and manned by Army soldiers at the distillery to prevent Nazi infiltrators from taking control of the distillery.
The river flooded in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes moved through, causing hundreds of brandy barrels to float down the Allegheny River toward Pittsburgh.
The distillery produced its last bottle on Nov. 11, 1983.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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