8th wonder of the world? ‘Leaning tower of Dallas’ STILL standing tall day after botched demolition job (VIDEOS)
A demolition company failed to completely implode a high-rise office block in Dallas, Texas, leaving the city with a new landmark to rival the famous tower in Pisa.
The 11-story tower block was set for demolition on Sunday morning. Charges were placed and the explosion carried out as planned. However, while two of the building’s wings folded in on themselves and fell to the ground, its center column - home to its stairwells and elevator shafts - pitched over at an angle and stayed upright.
An 11-storey building in Dallas has failed to abide by the laws of gravity. A controlled explosive demolition has left a portion of the building - subsequently nicknamed The Leaning Tower of Dallas - stubbornlyupright. pic.twitter.com/AM1qTBAmEM
— demolitionnews (@demolitionnews) February 17, 2020
After the implosion blast, there’s still work to do! The center stack did not come down right away. So now Dallas has its own leaning tower. Which I presume could fall any second! 😬 #IAmUppic.twitter.com/pgqdyJAN7P
— Chris Sadeghi (@chrissadeghi) February 16, 2020
Some people are calling it the Leaning Tower of Dallas! What’s left of the building is sitting at a precarious-looking angle, but the demolition company says there’s no safety risk for surrounding people or buildings. https://t.co/OXxmfmbCfspic.twitter.com/1Y5JddQMUV
— Caroline Vandergriff (@c_vandergriff) February 17, 2020
An excavator brought in to finish the job failed to dislodge the tower, and as of Monday afternoon, it remained standing. Demolition firm Lloyd D. Nabors Demolition told local media that the building poses no threat to pedestrians in the area, and that the operation will be finished with an old-fashioned wrecking ball during the week.
Locals quickly dubbed the new landmark “The Leaning Tower of Dallas.” One bystander told a local news channel WFAA that “while I am not a demolitions expert, it does not seem to be the most successful demolition.”
One local artist even came out to sketch the building’s skeletal remains, as thousands do in the Italian city of Pisa every year. “It’s just a peculiar, out of this world composition,” he told the news crew. “Very deconstructed, almost brutalist.”
Once the tower finally goes down, the site will be transformed into a 27-acre development, featuring glittering glass offices, hotels, and residential units as part of a construction plan expected to take four or five years. That is, unless the city chooses to keep the lopsided building as its new landmark.
Had to get my “leaning tower of Dallas” pic. A demolition didn’t quite got as planned now part of the building is left leaning in the skyline. I know this wasn’t the plan and the demo company is probably frustrated - but it gave a lot of people a little joy yesterday. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/g2Br1kjTtu
— Hannah VanHuss Davis (@hannahdinhd) February 17, 2020
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