Sunday’s demolition of the old Mandarin Oriental Hotel was the largest implosion to happen in Miami in more than a decade. This clears the way for a new development coming to Brickell Key.
Residents who didn’t leave the island by 7 a.m. Sunday had to shelter in place. Twenty-three stories fell in 20 seconds.
Christian Tang said he felt the vibrations for 12 of them.
“I was looking at the walls, and so forth, so everything was shaking for a bit. It was a small tremor, you could say, but you could definitely feel it,” Tang said.
After the implosion, dust filled the air. It was so dense, you couldn’t see the structure. The dust wafted inland and dissipated in minutes.
“The dust cleared pretty quick, so I thought [it] would last a little bit longer,” Tang said.
The contractor said all hazardous materials were removed from the building beforehand.
Ariel Wald left his Brickell Key apartment so he could see the building, now reduced to a pile of debris.
“The dust was coming pretty quickly, and everybody started coughing and going the other way, but it was interesting and quick,” Wald said.
The contractors said the implosion was the most efficient and least invasive way to knock the Mandarin Oriental Hotel down. It’s part of a plan to build two new towers that will include both hotel rooms and residences. The developer told CBS News Miami this implosion was more complex because it was on an island.
“Even though it only took 20 seconds to bring it down, this [was] over two years in the making of planning,” said Jessica Chen of Swire Properties, the developer behind the project.
Now, the contractor will remove the debris, paving the way for another big development coming to the Magic City.
City Commissioner Ralph Rosado said this demolition is symbolic: a piece of the old Miami comes crumbling down, so a piece of the new Miami can take its place.
“You’re seeing a number of new cranes still up in the sky, getting new buildings built. And it’s very exciting that people want to be here,” Rosado said.
The developer said it will likely take six months to clear all this debris, but they don’t expect this to impact traffic on the island. The new towers should be completed by 2030, and part of the project is expected to break ground this fall.
