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'Awesome. Just Awesome!' A look at the best blow-ups in St. Louis history
On Saturday, Aug. 25, 1984, a crowd of 10,000 people gave up sleeping in to go downtown and watch the implosion of the Buder and International Buildings in St. Louis to clear way for construction of the Gateway Mall.
"Awesome, just awesome!" breathed Rick Hudson of South St. Louis as he stared at the thick gray cloud of dust rising where the buildings had stood.
We take a look back through our archives to present some recent noteworthy blow-ups in St. Louis history.
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1984: Buder and International Buildings
Debris rolls up in front of "The Runner" statue in Kiener Plaza after the 1984 demolitions. Robert LaRouche photos.
1984: Buder and International Buildings
On August 25, 1984, about 10,000 people gathered on Broadway in Downtown to see the Buder and International buildings imploded to make room for the new Gateway Mall. The blast darkened the sky and sent spectators running as a cloud of dense smoke rolled toward them. "Awesome, just awesome," one of the spectators said.
1973: Pruitt Igoe
An 11-story building at the Pruitt-Igoe public housing project is demolished with explosives April 29, 1973.
Photo by Michael J. Baldridge, Post-Dispatch
1999: The Arena
A north eastern view from Forest Park of the arena implosion. A high-speed camera provides sequential views of the destruction of The Arena. The camera is facing the imploding building on Oakland Avenue from across Highway 40 in Forest Park.
2000: Lambert Pharmacal Building
The Lambert Pharmacal Building crashes to the ground as it is imploded, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000, in St. Louis, Mo. The demolition was done to make room for the final phase of Balke Brown Associate's St. Louis Commerce Center. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Laurie Skrivan)
2004: The Century Building
MONDAY, DEC. 6, 2004 - The Century Building, because of being razed, has two streets closed and pedestrians having to walk in the street in certain parts of the area. Merchants are complaining because of the blocked streets and sidewalks being obstructed have put a damper on business. PHOTO BY SAM LEONE / PD
2004: Cape Girardeau Bridge
Demolition experts implode a section of the old Mississippi River bridge connecting Cape Girardeau, Mo., and East Cape Girardeau, Ill., Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004. The remainder of the bridge, scheduled to be imploded at a later date, unexpectedly collapsed into the river at the same time. (AP Photo/Southeast Missourian, Don Frazier)
2005: Lambert International
7/28/05 Thursday St. Louis The old air traffic control tower at Lambert International fell to the wrecking ball Thursday morning. The roof of the structure came crashing down in this sequence of photos past a workman from Ahrens Wrecking who was spraying water on the structure to keep the dust down. The tower has been closed for several years. PHOTO BY J.B. FORBES
2005: Busch Stadium
Dust, rubble and a few posts is all that remains of Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team in St. Louis following the demolition of the final section of the stadium, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005. A new stadium is under construction just south of the rubble and is scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2006 baseball season. (AP Photo/James A. Finley)
2007: Tamm Avenue Bridge
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2007 -- The Tamm Avenue bridge is imploded late Friday night in St. Louis. I-64 traffic is closed and rerouted until 5:30 a.m. on Monday. The $535 million "New I-64" involves rebuilding about 10 miles of the interstate, including its bridges and interchanges, from Spoede Road in Frontenac to Kingshighway in St. Louis. Huy Richard Mach | Post-Dispatch
2010: Old Gravois bridge demolished into Meramec River
The old Gravois Road bridge in downtown Fenton was demolished on March 8, 2010, falling into the Meramec River where it would be dismantled. Robert Cohen rcohen@post-dispatch.com
2012: Blanchette Bridge
Onlookers watch as the westbound span of the Blanchette Bridge on I-70 are demolished Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
2016: The Boone Bridge
An old section of the 1930s-era westbound Boone Bridge is taken down by explosives on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 in Chesterfield. Traffic along Interstate 64 was closed. Photo by Huy Mach, hmach@post-dispatch.com
2019: Route 47 Missouri River Bridge
Thousands watched as debris from the Old Route 47 Missouri River Bridge hit the water on Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington, Mo. People waited for hours to watch the bridge come down about two seconds after the demolition charges went off. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com
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