Shrouded by steel, one of the nine remaining century-old brick kilns at the long-demolished Coplay Cement Company Plant B is undergoing a massive rehabilitation project, which is expected to be completed in August.

Begun several weeks ago, the long-awaited work, however, does not signal the remaining eight kilns also will be restored to their original state. It is imperative the renovation of the remaining kilns gains the interest of the public, foundations and cement industries and receives approval for federal and state grants to fund these Schoefer kilns, the only vertical continuous firing kilns in the world.

The whole kilns project will take years because of the projected costs, amounting to millions of dollars. Grant funding is paying for the present project.

Rick Molchany, who’s leading the project, said the present work on the one kiln is more than just repointing and replacing the bricks; it’s also constructing a steel membrane inside the kiln.

A restoration of four kilns that were restored and capped several years ago failed because trapped moisture caused further damage.

Molchany said after work on the one kiln is completed, a viewing area is planned, at which materials of the kilns will be available to see.

The Schoefer Kilns were an integral part of Plant B when constructed in 1900. In a little more than a decade, they then were obsolete and replaced by horizontal rotary kilns.

The mill was demolished in 1950 for scrap. The upper 40 feet of the original 120 feet was removed for safety reasons. Had it not been for mechanical problems, the kilns at that time also would have been torn down.