We looked up to find the proverbial “sidewalk shed” going up around the buildings at 67-73 N. 6th Street, the former National Sawdust Factory. Street art fans will know part of the site for the wall that has hosted art work by Faile and other artists and as the site of splashings earlier this year. Neighborhood blogger INSIJS has reported extensively on the building, first noting impending demolition. He filled us in its industrial history a couple of weeks ago:

National Sawdust operated for years on the site, producing (drumroll, please)…yep, sawdust. It seems the biodegradable, non-toxic, renewable stuff was used as a packing material for industries who shipped glass and other fragile goods, before the better living through chemistry folks cooked up things like bubble wrap, Styrofoam, and our all-time favorite, those polystyrene packing peanuts we spend hours cleaning up after we’ve given up diving for the object they’re protecting and pour the damn things all over the living room floor…the plant used to mill several different grades of sawdust, and store them in huge bins in the large brick warehouse across the street at 78 North 6th, where nearby manufacturers could come and purchase the stuff in bulk. As recently as five years ago the mill was used to manufacture aquarium gravel.

Look for the demolition crews to have at the building as early as this week. The replacement building isn’t know, but it’s a safe bet it will be a condo in the six-story range with retail or a restaurant at street level.