From Deseret News archives:
Key Bank tower comes down
Key Bank tower implosion video 2
Boom ... boom ... boom, then a pause, and finally, a skyscraper that has been part of the Salt Lake City skyline for almost 30 years met its end early this morning.
At 6:38 a.m., in the soft early morning light under with dark clouds blanketing much of the Salt Lake Valley's sky, the former Key Bank tower, at 50 S. Main, came crashing down today to the oohs and ahs of hundreds of employees from Key Bank and other former tenants watching from surrounding office buildings.
"It's bittersweet," said Julie Nelson, a 31-year employee of Key Bank watching from the new Key Bank tower, a block to the east. "It was great to watch, but it's sad to see it go."
Nelson remembers the day in August 1980 when the tower celebrated its grand opening. She was pregnant with her first daughter
In the days before the implosion, officials said the chief threat to the implosion plans was weather, as lightning or extreme winds could potentially force a postponement. The implosion came about seven minutes ahead of schedule to prevent looming lightning flashes on the horizon from posing a risk, and a steady but gentle breeze was seen as likely to help the dust clear more quickly.
The 20-story tower was built in the late 1970s and, until recently, housed the offices of Key Bank as well as several law firms, legal support services and other companies. It fell today to make way for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' City Creek Center development.
The huge dust cloud drifted west leaving behind an approximately 40-foot-high heap of rubble in the building's former footprint 36,000 tons of steel, concrete and glass, most of which will be hauled off and recycled.
Recent comments
A reporter's job isn't to quote every single thing every single...
Skeptic | Aug. 21, 2007 at 1:41 a.m.
After reading all of your comments, I'm lost. I thought the story was...
Uh..... | Aug. 20, 2007 at 1:00 p.m.
I'm sorry I was not able to be there and see the implosion live . I...
Dustin | Aug. 20, 2007 at 2:56 a.m.
- 1A high school football: All-State teams 1:49 a.m.
- 2A high school football: All-State 1:40 a.m.
- 3A high school football: All-State 1:30 a.m.
- 4A high school football: All-State 12:48 a.m.
- 5A high school football All-State 12:25 a.m.
- Woods soap opera takes more turns 12:24 a.m.
- Defense lifts Jets to win over Buffalo 12:23 a.m.
- Ex-USU, NFL great to be honored 12:23 a.m.
- Jazz: Miles, Kirilenko to play Friday 12:14 a.m.
- Friday on TV 12:11 a.m.
- Hate not limited to 1 in-state rivalry
- Mr. Football 2009: Tuni Kanuch
- Aggies shoot past Cougars
- Mitchell said to share LeBaron traits
- Phoenix signs off on LDS temple
- BYU prof a 'Top Global Thinker'
- Toddler dies trapped under mattress
- Aggie 'D' holds BYU to season low
- Harpring's NBA career is over
- Crews to seal Nutty Putty Cave
- Hall reprimanded by MWC
406 - Max Hall issues apology
393 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
361 - Why is Y. ignoring spew of hatred?
287 - Utes won't respond to Hall
278 - BYU says Hall incident resolved
247 - Letters: Liberal because LDS
216 - 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game
188 - Aggies shoot past Cougars
175 - Hate not limited to 1 in-state rivalry
158
If you want to learn what it's like to be an astronaut on the...
First, a big thank you to all who posted questions here for me to ask...
The more people there are helping the less supervised the children present...
Thanks for the passion and intensity you brought to the court day-in and...
Sloan, comeon, we're talking about the same guy that gave jarron collins...
Those Jazz teams in the early eighties must have had a horrible record in...
I love this story! I was terrified as snakes as a child. Mainly, because I...
I have to admit. I am glad it died. The article makes light of the fact that...
are guilty of hate themselves.
I still have my green Jazz jacket that I will wear to the game when the Jazz...
just wait a day
@cl, I'm with you, it would be nice to see feztheb and miles play up to...




