Overview

The Pacific States Steel Corporation operated a steel mill on this 61-acre site located on the border fo Fremont, CA, and Union City, CA, between the years 1938 and 1978.

Building History

The Pacific States Steel Corporation owned this steel mill between 1938 and 1978. The Pacific States Steel Corporation incorporated on 05/29/1937 in CA. Its executives in 1950 included: Joseph Eastwood, Jr., preaident and general manager; Milo G. Spalch, vice-president and secretary; Marion Newman, Treasurer and Comptroller; Frank Carcot, P.A. (possibly plant attorney?). (See Standard Metal Directory, Twelfth Edition, 1950, "Iron and Steel Plants: California," [New York: Standard Metal Directory Company, 1950], p. 50. Before 1952, the Pacific States Steel Company maintained executive offices in the Latham Square Building in Downtown Oakland, CA. After 1952, offices were moved to the Union City/Niles plant. "The move is being made to maintain closer contact between sales, metallurgical, and manufacturing departments. Both companies [Pacific States Steet Corporation and American Forge Company] also maintain offices in New York, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon." (See "American Forge, Pacific States Steel Move Offices," Western Machinery and Steel World, 12/1952, p. 151.)

The Standard Metal Directory, Twelfth Edition, 1950, described the plant's components. The plant at Niles, CA, had a steel department with four electric furnaces. Its rolling mills had: "two 1-hole soaking pits; 1 cont. non-regen. heating furnace, roughing and finishing bar mills." The company produced forging-quality ingots, merchant bars and shapes and small structural metal pieces. Annual capacity was 94,500 tons of ingots and 85,000 tons of finished hot-rolled steel products. The plant used "scrap iron and steel: open hearth and electric furnace grades, railroad scrap, virgin aluminum, nickel, Babbitt metal, ferro-alloys and pig iron." (See Standard Metal Directory, Twelfth Edition, 1950, "Iron and Steel Plants: California," [New York: Standard Metal Directory Company, 1950], p. 50.)

Before Pacific Coast opened its plant, a brickmaking company, established in 1908, dug clay on the site and baked bricks here. This entity continued between 1908 and 1937.

Soil remediation efforts managed by the State of California's Department of Toxic Substances Control occurred in two phases, Phase I was scheduled to begin during late 06/2003.

Building Notes

According to a fact sheet put out by the State of California's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the site has been polluted with the wastes related to steel-making and other industrial processes: "Slag and other metal-containing wastes were generated from the steel-making process and were disposed on the site. Slag that remains on the site contains the metals cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, and arsenic. Bunker oil, a residual from the refining of crude oil, was used on the stie and there are some areas contaminated with this and other petroleum products. A variety of businesses leased portions of the site between 1977 and 1987. One of the lessees stored and processed transformers, resulting in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination of soil in a small area. PCBs are listed as cancer-causing agent under Proposition 65." (See State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).gov, "The Pacific States Steel Corporation Site Fact Sheet June 2003," published c. 2003, accessed 04/18/2024.)

Demolition

The Pacific States Steel Corporation's Union City steel mill burned.

PCAD id: 25131