Video: CDI implodes 12-story Atlanta hotel

The implosion of the former 395-room hotel will free up space for the expansion of the nearby Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.


Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), Phoenix, Maryland, successfully imploded what was left of a former Atlanta-based Sheraton Hotel on Sept. 5.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 395-room hotel was originally constructed in the 1980s and sat adjacent to the Georgia International Convention Center. While the sprawling convention center closed in the early 2000s, the hotel remained in operation until 2017.

After its closure, the building was acquired by the city of Atlanta for $16.8 million. The 12-story post-tensioned, reinforced concrete structure was demolished to make way for the expansion of the nearby Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

CDI acted as the explosives contractor to the main demolition joint venture between Renascent Inc. of Indianapolis and Corporate Environmental Risk Management LLC of Tucker, Georgia.

For the sake of safety, CDI says the Georgia Department of Transportation helped set up a roadblock on an adjacent interstate, and the Hartsfield traffic control tower halted air traffic briefly leading up to the implosion.

Watch the video of the implosion below, courtesy of CDI: