Center City building imploded

By Eric Donovan
Collegian Staff
November 14, 2007

After the dust settled at 13th and Cherry streets, the National Building was little more than a large pile of dust after being imploded Nov. 11.

The city was awakened at 7:36 a.m. by loud bangs and thuds from the planned implosion of the National Building. According to several weather reports, the minimal wind factor made for the perfect conditions for such an implosion, as dust would not travel far throughout the city.

According to NBC 10 News, several roads and intersections were closed for the implosion, including parts of Race, Broad and Arch streets.

The demolishing of the building is just one step in the plan to expand the Pennsylvania Convention Center, currently at 1101 Arch St. The renovation plan includes extending the center as far as Broad Street, allowing more space to welcome many more conventions and expos throughout the coming years.

According to WFMZ 69 News, the newly-renovated Convention Center, to be completed by 2010, will house the largest ballroom on the East Coast. Projected costs for the initiative are now looking upwards of $632 million. The state House approved funding of $300 million for the project.

The expansion will displace many city groups, including the Asian Arts Initiative, Fabric Workshop and Museum, Highwire Gallery and Vox Populi, all of which are currently looking for new homes, according to Philadelphia Weekly.

The new center will have 1 million square feet of space, making it the “largest contiguous exhibit space in the Northeast” and “the largest convention center ballroom on the East Coast” with “the ability to host large tradeshows or two major conventions simultaneously,” according the Convention Center’s Web site.

In addition, the site claims that the new center will contribute roughly $290 million in economic impact annually. The Center will also add to the city’s employment rate, offering over 2,000 hospitality-related jobs.

The implosion of the National Building is one of many buildings being demolished for the Convention Center’s new space. However, it is one of the only ones being destroyed via implosion, a technique seen rarely in the past few years in Philadelphia. One of the most memorable was that of Veterans Stadium’s fall to the ground in 2004, ushering in a wave of success at the new Citizen’s Bank Park.

donovane1@lasalle.edu