AMES (AP) — Two of the tallest buildings in Ames will come down on July 19.
Iowa State University will implode Knapp Hall and Storms Hall, two of the four high-rise dormitories in a complex known as the Towers area south of the main campus.
Both buildings, opened in 1966, have significant maintenance problems, including facade damage that can't be repaired, ISU officials said. Storms hasn't been used since 2003. Knapp closed in 2004.
"They're worn out," said Dean McCormick, who's in charge of design and construction services at Iowa State. "That would be safe to say."
Iowa State, which announced the date of the implosion at a briefing for the news media on Wednesday, is spending about $3 million to tear the buildings down. Everything inside has been removed and explosive charges will collapse the 129-foot towers into a pile of rubble about 40 feet high.
The university will crush the concrete into gravel to be used in driveways and parking areas at a new dairy facility south of the city.
The two other dorms in the complex, Wallace and Wilson, are still being used.
Television stations plan to show the implosion live. The event also will draw newspaper reporters and photographers and curious onlookers.
"My chief concern is getting them down safely, not to provide entertainment," McCormick said. "But from my experience, I know that entertainment will be involved."
The tallest building in Ames is an apartment building that stands 131.4 feet tall.
Iowa State University will implode Knapp Hall and Storms Hall, two of the four high-rise dormitories in a complex known as the Towers area south of the main campus.
Both buildings, opened in 1966, have significant maintenance problems, including facade damage that can't be repaired, ISU officials said. Storms hasn't been used since 2003. Knapp closed in 2004.
"They're worn out," said Dean McCormick, who's in charge of design and construction services at Iowa State. "That would be safe to say."
Iowa State, which announced the date of the implosion at a briefing for the news media on Wednesday, is spending about $3 million to tear the buildings down. Everything inside has been removed and explosive charges will collapse the 129-foot towers into a pile of rubble about 40 feet high.
The university will crush the concrete into gravel to be used in driveways and parking areas at a new dairy facility south of the city.
The two other dorms in the complex, Wallace and Wilson, are still being used.
Television stations plan to show the implosion live. The event also will draw newspaper reporters and photographers and curious onlookers.
"My chief concern is getting them down safely, not to provide entertainment," McCormick said. "But from my experience, I know that entertainment will be involved."
The tallest building in Ames is an apartment building that stands 131.4 feet tall.
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