Keystone Towers come tumbling down

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Years of debate, criminal activity and blight came to an end Sunday as more than 750 pounds of explosive brought the Keystone Towers to the ground in less than 12 seconds.

What were once the premier places to live and work, the two concrete towers located at Keystone Avenue and Fall Creek Parkway were most often referred to as eyesores and havens for illegal activity.

• PHOTO GALLERY: Implosion Before and After

"This has been an eyesore. I've lived in this neighborhood for seven years. I hate seeing that building there," said Terry Sims who lives nearby.

Sims was part of a small crowd that came to see the towers fall.

Before the collapse, you could hear the series of muffled explosions as 750 pounds of explosives were detonated. The 15 story apartment building fell first. The center section fell straight down followed by the sides. Then the eight story office building collapsed.

"That was just amazing. The insides came down first and then the outer sides. It was cool," said onlooker Becky Belcher.

At ground zero, all that remained were two large piles of rubble plus the elevator shaft from the office building.

For safety reasons, the demolition experts were not able to weaken the shaft during their preparations. They didn't expect it to fall.

"We plan to bring it down with our high reach excavator which originally we were going to bring down the whole building with our equipment" said Frank Burdick of Denney Excavating.

Crews will take the next 60 days to clear out the rubble. The 10,000 tons of collapsed concrete will be pulverized on site and turned into pebbles that can be used as backfill.

Federal funds were used to pay the $827,000 to pay for the demolition. In return, the city must use part of the site for affordable housing.

"Probably be a mixed use. Something that will fit into this community very very well" said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.

The City of Indianapolis decided to raze the towers in an effort to save the city money and cut down on crime.

The property has been tied up in code violation disputes, court battles and in property auctions for the better part of a decade. The structure has been abandoned since 2003.

Lacking central air conditioning, several would-be developers tried their luck at reviving the buildings. However, a solution to add individual window units and a much more expensive try to add central air and revamp the elevators proved too costly.

The City of Indianapolis took over the property in 2008. A series of failed auctions led the city to award an $827,000 contract to bring it down.

At the height of their golden years, the towers boasted two penthouses; one of which even included a hot tub in the middle of the living room.