West Palm Valentine: 1515 Flagler implosion

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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