‘The Leaning Tower of Dallas’: Eleven-story building is left with a precarious tilt after demolition using 300lbs of dynamite fails to bring it down
- A Dallas building was left with a 15-degree tilt after a failed demolition Sunday
- 300lbs of dynamite proved insufficient in imploding the 11-story structure
- The lopsided landmark quickly became an internet sensation as people compared it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy
- Crews are scheduled to continue the demolition with a crane and wrecking ball
- The building will be replaced with a $2.5billion development called The Central
A building has been dubbed the Leaning Tower of Dallas after a failed demolition left it with an alarmingly precarious tilt.
The building just north of downtown Dallas was supposed to come down on Sunday morning to make room for a $2.5billion development called The Central.
But the demolition didn’t quite go to plan as 300 pounds of dynamite failed to implode the 11-story structure and instead left it leaning 15 degrees and 35 feet shorter.
A building has been dubbed the Leaning Tower of Dallas after a failed demolition on Sunday left it with an alarmingly precarious tilt
Three hundred pounds of dynamite were used to implode the 11-story building just north of downtown Dallas on Sunday
The building’s steel and concrete core were still standing when dust from the demo settled
Steve Pettigrew, whose company Pettigrew Inc is involved in the demolition, explained that the building ‘undressed itself’ too quickly, leaving the concrete and steel core still standing after the exterior ‘skirt’ came off.
‘Overall, all the explosions did go off,’ Pettigrew said at a Sunday press conference
‘That type of construction with the central core and the outer columns, it was precast. They’re tough; they’re tough obviously. But we have equipment on standby, and they’ll get it done.’
Pettigrew said while its not rare for the core of a building to remain standing, it isn’t what they had planned.
The lopsided landmark, formerly known as the Affiliated Computer Services building, quickly became an internet sensation as people compared it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
Social media has been flooding with photos of people pretending to hold up and knock down the tilted tower.
One photographer, Lauren Armstrong, joked that she’s never been to the Leaning Tower of Pisa but not doesn’t know if she needs to venture that far, having seen the Texas version.
The lopsided landmark (left) quickly became a social media sensation as people compared it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy (right)
Lloyd D Nabors, whose company is handling in charge of the demolition, released a statement assuring the public that the building is contained and does not pose a safety risk.
He said crews will continue work to take it down this week using a crane and wrecking ball.
As soon as the implosion process is fully finished, work can begin on The Central, a 27-acre development with five million square feet of office, residential, hospitality, food and beverage, entertainment and retail space.
Steve Pettigrew (pictured), whose company is involved in the demolition, explained that the building ‘undressed itself’ too quickly
The remainder of the demolition will be carried out this week with a crane and wrecking ball