Controlled Implosion

[restoman]

This afternoon, I was standing on my porch talking to Wes, when there was a low rumble that lasted half a minute. I said "Was that thunder?" Wes said, "Maybe it was a train derailing." It didn't really sound or feel like either, but then Wes remembered that the grandstand at the Fairgrounds (about 3 miles away) was being demolished today. I wish I had known about it in advance! Anyway, here's the footage:

http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/01/watch_the_nys_fair_grandstand_blow_up_photos_video.html

In the first clip, the blonde-haired woman is the County Executive, Joanie Mahoney. You can see Governor Cuomo on the left.

Comments

[thespian15.livejournal.com]

Were all those first "explosions" across the top just for show?
Did that grandstand sit out in the middle of no where? Looks like a major street behind it.
Are they replacing it or just getting rid of it?
Our main grandstand is a concrete, I think, structure.
Hugs, Jon

[restoman.livejournal.com]

Those first explosions, the ones across the front edge of the roof, served to cut the front steel beam of the roof structure at each joint so that it would collapse in sections instead of all in one piece. It looks like they added a few bottle rockets to those explosions just for show. The next sets of explosions cut the main supports at the back and front of the structure to bring it down. the charges are all very carefully placed and timed to cut the steel structure into pieces that can be hauled away by equipment at ground level. It reduces the time and cost for demolition and makes the process safer.

The grandstand was adjacent to the midway of the fair and several large parking lots. The midway was empty because the rides, concessions and games are all portable, and don't stay there over the winter. There is a highway that runs by one side of the grandstand, but not very close, and a secondary road that runs closer. Some of the shots were taken with telephoto lenses that make the roads look closer than they really are.
They have already built a new "amphitheater" across the highway, along the lakeshore which makes a much better venue for concerts at the fair. I think the area where the grandstand was will become part of a new auto racetrack. It is all part of a major upgrade to the fairgrounds and its buildings.

I spent a couple of hours this evening watching youtube videos of demolitions by implosion. It is truly an amazing sight to see an implosion bring down a skyscraper with precision and finesse! :-)

*Hugs*

Edited: They have changed the videos that were posted at that link and added some new text. The road behind the grandstand where the camera was is just a parking lot access road within the fairgrounds. Apparently there will be an RV park on the site, not a racetrack.

[thespian15.livejournal.com]

WOW, kind of sad to bring down a grandstand for an RV park. :(

Our grandstand use to have a race track, but they got rid of that a few years ago. Apparently racing isn't big at state fairs any more. lol...

One of the museums I went to in Vegas has viewing screens that show them taking down a bunch of the old resorts out there. Very cool.

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

That would have been cool to see. Do you know why they demolished it?

[restoman.livejournal.com]

The grandstand was only 38 years old, but when it was built it was designed as seating for horse racing. Horse racing has declined in popularity, and the last horse races held there were over 20 years ago. It got used for car racing for a while, but that didn't draw big enough crowds either because the track wasn't well suited to it. In recent years it has mostly been used as a concert venue, with many of the big-name groups performing there. My friend, Mark, saw Metallica there. But every time they held a concert there they had to bring in all the sound equipment and build a temporary stage. Also, the acoustics of the grandstand were terrible. Approaching 40 years old, the building was also in need of a major overhaul and upgrade. The state and local governments decided that it was smarter to build a new concert venue nearby (the Lakeview Amphitheater) and get rid of the old grandstand.

The New York State Fair lasts for about 10 days every summer, but that is an inefficient use of a large and diverse facility. They are trying to get more use out of it year-round and bring more tourists into the area. In recent years the fairgrounds have been used for other events besides the fair: car shows, antique shows, model train shows, home remodeling shows etc. Apparently there is a need for a nearby Recreational Vehicle Park as a place for show participants to stay while in Syracuse. It may not be a grand plan, but it will mean minimal investment in buildings and infrastructure and can be easily redeveloped later.

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

It makes sense. Times move on and it didn't look like it was of great architectural merit - and so young that it didn't have historical value.

[stormdog.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah; the amphitheater that's sitting on top of an EPA superfund site!

[resonant.livejournal.com]

It's better that you didn't know in advance and were far away, instead of not knowing and being inside it.

[restoman.livejournal.com]

LOL!

It would have been fun to watch it being imploded, but I probably would never have gotten as good a vantage point as some of the news cameramen that filmed it.