The 'Leaning Tower of Dallas', a 15 days old landmark which became an instant internet sensation due to its high resilience, was finally demolished on Monday (March 2). Multiple demolition attempts included--explosion and being struck with a wrecking ball. The landmark formed on February 16 and was flattened on March 2.
Leaning Tower of Dallas collapses
The tower comprised of the core and elevator shaft of an 11-storied former Affiliated Computer Services building, that was demolished by an explosion on February 16. The surviving structure, bent at a certain angle, caught everyone's attention and drew comparisons with Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa, from which it got its monicker.
Soon after the implosion, a spokeswoman for De La Vega Development, which is redeveloping the site, said that it would take up to four more days to pull down the remaining structure, but it ended taking four times more, Associated Press reported. A 2,540 pounds wrecking ball was then deployed to knock down the 'Leaning Tower', which soon became a Texas landmark. However, the size of the wrecking ball was widely mocked on social media.
'Leaning Tower' became an internet sensation
Hundreds flocked to the site, to take photographs, including variations of poses at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Thousands signed an online petition to 'Save the Leaning Tower of Dallas By Making It a UNESCO World Heritage Site'.
However, after resisting two futile demolition attempts, the structure was brought down on Monday at about 3:18 pm [Local Time]. The company handling the project earlier said that the structure was leaning n the direction it was intended to fall and there are no safety concerns.
The building was demolished to make way for a $2.5 billion mixed-use project. Unlike, the Leaning Tower of Dallas, whose life spanned just 15 days, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has stood for over 800 years. Being built in the 12th century as a cathedral's free-standing bell tower, it leaned at four degrees due to an unstable foundation. By 1990, the tilt reached 5.5 degrees, however, repair work has reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees.
