00:00Tariffs trigger liquidation of 116-year American steel manufacturer.
00:05The steel yard on Shreve Avenue in North St. Louis now sits silent, with cranes and
00:10tagged machines awaiting auction.
00:12After 116 years, Ben-Hur Steel Works has shut down, leaving its 22-acre site fully liquidated.
00:20The closure marks the end of a major local manufacturing chapter and highlights deeper
00:25strains in the U.S. steel industry as trade rules pressure fabricators.
00:30In March 2018, President Donald Trump imposed Section 232 tariffs, taxing most imported steel
00:38at 25% for national security.
00:41By June 2025, tariffs hit 50%, pushing U.S. steel prices far above global levels.
00:49While big mills benefited, fabricators like Ben-Hur faced higher costs, fixed contracts
00:54and foreign competition, steadily eroding profits.
00:59Founded in 1909 as part of Ben-Hur Construction Company, Ben-Hur Steel Works became a key structural
01:06steel producer for projects across the Midwest.
01:10Its Shreve Avenue plant, employing generations of skilled North St. Louis workers, supplied
01:15beams, columns and custom parts.
01:18Once a city's industrial cornerstone, the facility now faces an uncertain end.
01:23From the late 2000s on, fabricators like Ben-Hur were hit by rising steel costs from tariffs,
01:28labor shortages, higher interest rates and volatile construction demand.
01:33Fixed price contracts left little room to absorb these expenses, and smaller firms couldn't
01:39raise prices without losing customers.
01:42Over time, these pressures steadily squeezed margins, making operations unsustainable.
01:47Studies found that Section 232 tariffs led to about 75,000 job losses in steel-using industries,
01:55far exceeding gains at steel mills.
01:58Fabricators were undercut by foreign rivals with cheaper inputs, while U.S. mills maintained
02:03higher domestic prices.
02:05Congressional Research Service reports show the fallout spread across construction, automotive
02:10and machinery sectors.
02:12Ben-Hur's shutdown deepens the blow.
02:15In December 2025, the company began full liquidation, sending cranes, welding gear, plasma cutters,
02:22and other equipment to auction.
02:24The 22-acre site is listed for about $7.5 million, with its future uncertain.
02:31The closure accelerates industrial decline in North St. Louis, leaving long-time workers laid
02:35off and facing retraining, relocation, or career changes, as their specialized skills prove hard
02:41to transfer.
02:42Ben-Hur's closure shows how tariffs and market strains can hit unevenly.
02:47As St. Louis weighs new uses for the site, environmental cleanup will matter, while the case fuels national
02:53debate over protecting the full-steel supply chain.
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