Nov 18, 2007 11:25 pm US/Eastern
Sheraton Bal Harbour Vanishes In A Cloud Of Dust
NORTH MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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The lobby of the Americana Hotel
CBS
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The lobby of the Americana Hotel.
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The Americana Hotel Lobby bar
CBS
With a series of pops, bangs and booms – the Sheraton Bal Harbour vanished in a cloud of smoke early Sunday morning.
A demolition crew imploded the historic hotel in the 97-hundred block of Collins Avenue to make room for a St. Regis Hotel and Residences luxury resort.
Bal Harbour officials say a construction worker received minor injuries after he crossed safety line during the implosion and was hit by flying debris.
Not everyone was happy to see the old hotel fade into South Florida history.
"What's the rush?, said Brian Mulheren of Bal Harbour Citizens Coalition Saturday. "Why are we doing it so fast?"
Mulheren fought the implosion because asbestos was found in the building
"This is no where near what 9/11 was, but multiply that in effect in New York we have an epidemic of cancer of the tonsils," Mulheren told CBS4's David Sutta.
At Mulheren's request, the village of Bal Harbour and the developer quickly produced studies that showed the implosion would present no harm to the public. Another study, however, raised concerns about area resident's exposure to the dust.
"There has been a perimeter set all the way out to the ocean with police presence to prevent boaters from coming too close," explained Daniel Nieda, Bal Harbour building official Saturday. "Collins Avenue will be closed off, and we've also gone to the extent of the FAA, it has no fly zone over the implosion time."
Nieda felt confident those preparations would be enough.
"It's my license and my reputation and that of the village and I take my job very seriously," said Nieda. "It's my job to protect the citizens."
Mulheren had a different opinion.
"He's a part time building official and he has no experience with environmental concerns that we are talking about," said Mulheren.
"After having 2 experts saying that it's not a hazard, he still persistent and now he's resorting to the media," said Nieda. "You're doing your job but I'm confident this is not hazardous, the alternative is to bring this down manually with a wrecking ball."
Sunday's implosion of the Sheraton Bal Harbor came 45 years to the day after President John F. Kennedy made his speech there. Originally, the Americana Hotel which opened in 1959, the building was designed by Morris Lapidus, the same architect who built the Fontainebleu and Eden Rock hotels on Miami Beach.
The Americana's signature feature was a huge terrarium in the center of the lobby, in which animals could be put on display. The beachside resort was a favorite of celebrities and the Secret Service, because visiting presidents could be safely shuttled into the hotel through its underground parking garage.
After the dust had cleared from Sunday's implosion, Miami Dade's internationally renowned Search and Rescue Team, which responds to disasters around the world, used the debris for training exercises. Members with specialized training in technical search, K-9 search and structural collapse emergencies were granted permission to use the remnants of the building to bury live victims in the debris. The team then trained using K-9s, state of the art search cameras and listening equipment to locate these simulated victims.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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