Tower’s Final Blast Makes Money
The city made the best of a sinking situation Saturday, blasting a tottering office tower into a pile of rubble amid money-making hoopla featuring $5 commemorative bricks.
Thousands cheered the controlled explosion that erased the seven-story Corporate Plaza from the downtown skyline in about 20 seconds. The honor of pushing the button that set off the blast went to Steve Pucszyn, a store worker who won a city-sponsored raffle. Three thousand raffle tickets sold for $5 each.
The building began to slowly collapse last month when a 40-foot-long sinkhole cut through the city center.
“What else are you going to do when Mother Nature deals you a hand like this?” asked Robin Turner, director of the Downtown Improvement District Authority.
Beside the $5 souvenir bricks, sweat shirts bearing the slogan “I Survived the Big Bang” sold for $20. The money will be split between the Downtown Improvement District Authority and the Lehigh County chapter of the American Red Cross.
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