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Convention Center Comes Tumbling Down
washingtonpost.com ^ | Sunday, December 19, 2004 | Manny Fernandez

Posted on 12/18/2004 8:58:40 PM PST by crushelits

Convention Center Comes Tumbling Down

In the end, the demise of the old Washington Convention Center resembled more of a deflation than an implosion -- the squat structure, at its tallest roughly the equivalent of a four-story building, didn't have far to fall.

It died about 7:30 a.m. yesterday in a roughly 20-second ballet of crackling explosives, toppling walls and a large cloud of dust that marked the spot where on Dec. 10, 1982, city officials had hosted a grand opening reception.

This time, Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) presided over a gathering at the newer, flashier convention center a couple of blocks away to pay last respects to its smaller cousin. The mayor, helped by several children, pushed down a red-handled ceremonial plunger seconds before the building fell. 

Click photo to for  Video Onlookers and pedestrians reacted to the implosion -- the first in Washington since a 10-story enclosed parking garage went down in 1974 -- with awe, fright or simple curiosity, depending on where they were standing at 7:30. Some said it sounded like rapid machine-gun fire followed by a loud thunderclap. Others said it resembled the muffled rumble of a subway train passing underfoot, while at least one man thought an earthquake had struck.



  










(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; US: Maryland; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: abuseofpower; center; comes; convention; conventioncenter; dc; dclandmark; down; eminentdomain; taxfraud; taxgrab; tumbling

1 posted on 12/18/2004 8:58:40 PM PST by crushelits
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To: crushelits

Okay. Next goes the UN.


2 posted on 12/18/2004 9:16:04 PM PST by Cobra64 (Babes should wear Bullet Bras - www.BulletBras.net)
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To: crushelits

"Onlookers and pedestrians reacted to the implosion -- the first in Washington since a 10-story enclosed parking garage went down in 1974"

I guess the terrorist murderers flying the plane into the Pentagon didn't count as an explosion and it was in Va rather than DC. The Post forgot about the terrorists already.


3 posted on 12/19/2004 2:25:13 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: crushelits

Built in 1982?

And they tore it down. Wow, does that city have crappy foresight or just a boatload of tax dollars to spend?


4 posted on 12/19/2004 2:36:25 AM PST by Greenpees (Coulda Shoulda Woulda)
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To: Greenpees
"And they tore it down. Wow, does that city have crappy foresight or just a boatload of tax dollars to spend?"

All of the above. And more. And then some.

If money were water you couldn't shoot it out of a fire hose faster than D.C. spends money.

Regards,

5 posted on 12/19/2004 3:52:33 AM PST by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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