For those wondering what next week’s demolition of 1515 Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach will look like, the video above should provide a frightening, yet visually-stimulating preview. The 30-story, hurricane damaged, uninhabited condo tower will be the third-tallest building in the United States to be destroyed by a controlled implosion when it goes down at 9 a.m. Feb. 14.

Valentine’s Day will gladden the hearts of even the loneliest West
Palm Beach residents when the longstanding skyline eyesore at 1515
Flagler Drive, a 30-story, hurricane damaged, uninhabited condo tower,
is destroyed. Advanced Explosive Demolition of St. Maries, Idaho will
handle the job, which will be the third-tallest building in the United
States to be destroyed by a controlled implosion, according to Eric
Kelly, the company president. The 1974 tower was ravaged by two
hurricanes in 2004 and its residents were permanently removed. A slew
of legal and financial issues over the building and the site have
delayed the demo job, but all regulatory approvals are now in place and
the work will proceed at 9 a.m. on Feb. 14. The destruction is expected to take
6.5 seconds, and inspired Palm Beach resident Cathleen McFarlane Ross,
73, to host a benefit party for friends, who can watch implosion
across the Intracoastal Waterway from her Palm Beach mansion on Worth
Avenue. She plans to serve Bloody Marys and request a minimum $25
donation to help Haiti.

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