On the first morning of the new year, nearly 2,000 people woke, bundled up, packed their chairs and blankets, and headed downtown to see something they may have never seen before or ever get to see again. Thousands more from across the world, tuned into live streams to see it happen in real time. Nine o’clock, on the dot.
Excitement, anticipation, and hot coffee made the 40-degree weather a little more bearable on Coleman Hill, in Historic Rose Hill Cemetery, and along Downtown streets. Some people there as early as four hours before it was set to happen, just to make sure they got the best spot. They were going to witness history.
“I can’t wait!” “Do you think it will be really loud?” “I can’t believe this is happening!” “I’m glad it’s happening!”
At the same time, dozens of our public safety officers were in place, assisting Target Contractors to make sure it happened the way it had been planned for weeks. On the first day of 2025, the abandoned hotel on First Street was coming down, and thousands of eyes were watching.
“This is more than just watching a building implode,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “This is an example of how we’re going to spend the new year, with a clean slate and fresh start to make a difference, not only Downtown, but across Macon-Bibb County.”
Crews closed off blocks surrounding the 16-story hotel at 6:00 a.m. Weeks before that, Target Contractors helped protect surrounding businesses to make sure they wouldn’t be affected by the implosion. They held a forum, personally spoke with surrounding business owners, and prepared for the boom.
Weeks of preparation for 15 seconds people would remember for a lifetime.
“… 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” Mayor Miller shouted with people at Coleman Hill before clicking the button on the remote and silencing everyone with 14 booms. Seconds later, they all watched as the building turned into a cloud of dust.
“Yeah!” “That was awesome!” “Woooo!”
People cheered, laughed, and stood amazed by what they just witnessed. Crews swept the streets and cleaned up before reopening the streets a couple hours later.
“It’s a new day in Macon-Bibb,” said Mayor Miller. “A new beginning.”
While the assessment is still ongoing, no damage to nearby buildings has been identified. The next step for the abandoned hotel is to ground up the rubble and use it to fill in the hole that was left behind. That will save the cost of having to fill it in and remove the debris.
The parking deck, convention section on First St, and commercial spaces along the Walnut Street still have to be demolished and will be used to help fill in the hole. All of this is expected to be done by May.
Click here to learn more about the process of the implosion.