Advertisement

Tallest building in Kentucky’s capital city demolished as thousands look on

Click to play video: 'Crowd gathers up close to watch building implosion in Kentucky'
Crowd gathers up close to watch building implosion in Kentucky
WATCH: Crowd gathers up close to watch building implosion in Kentucky – Mar 11, 2018

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The tallest building in Kentucky’s capital city came crashing down in a controlled implosion Sunday, delighting thousands of onlookers who quickly scurried away to avoid the dust cloud that billowed overhead.

Sunday’s demolition of the 28-story Capital Plaza Tower will make way for a new modern five-story office building and its 1,100-spot parking garage. The tower opened in 1972 as a state office building and closed in 2016.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

READ MORE: Partial implosion of Detroit’s Pontiac Silverdome a success after 2nd attempt

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin did not push the ceremonial plunger to start the demolition. Instead, he auctioned off that right on eBay, with all proceeds going to benefit a charity started by his wife. The #WeAreKY Foundation supports the state’s foster children. It has no paid staff, and the Executive Branch Ethics Commission said it is not a conflict for Bevin to raise money for charity this way.

Story continues below advertisement

“It’s amazing that even as we are here to see a building come down, the dollars that are being generated in some measure from this are helping to build families up,” Bevin told the crowd shortly before the demolition.

The winning bid of $15,000 came from a Shelbyville resident, A.J. Stivers, who owns a company that provides on-site vision and hearing exams at schools across Kentucky.

Sponsored content

AdChoices