Video: Miami hospital imploded

BG Group was the general contractor on the job and Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) was the implosion subcontractor.


Miami’s South Shore Hospital was imploded April 16 to make way for a three-acre public park, a 44-story high-rise and 15,000 square feet of retail space, the Miami Herald reported.

Delray Beach, Florida-based BG Group was the general contractor on the job and Phoenix, Maryland-based Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) was the implosion subcontractor.

While city officials originally rejected BG Group’s request to demo the building via the use of explosives, which aren’t usually permitted in city demolition jobs, the developer was able to win an appeal through the Miami-Dade County Board of Rules and Appeals to greenlight the implosion.

Site preparation for the demolition began March 25, as contractors worked to drill holes in columns and weaken the shear walls in anticipation of the implosion.

The South Shore Hospital was opened in 1968. Administration problems following the 2004 sale of the property and wind damage suffered from Hurricane Wilma a year later resulted in the 2006 closure of the facility.

Watch the video of the implosion below, courtesy of the Miami Herald: