Historic building set to fall
Leveling the Frank Leu Building: Six Seconds to Dust
Appeared: 17 October 1997, Montgomery Advertiser

By Kim Chandler
MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER

Six seconds.

That's approximately how long it will take a precise combination of explosives and gravity set off at 3 p.m. Saturday to destroy the Frank Leu Building, the once lavish Montgomery hotel turned ghost-office complex.

When cleared, the building's lot will become a parking lot, although the space likely will be used in the development of the Montgomery riverfront area.

Originally the Gay-Teague Hotel, the red brick structure was built in 1907. The 10-story structure was Montgomery's tallest building when it was constructed. It remained a hotel until the Depression in the 1930s.

City officials have called the building at the corner of Bibb and Commerce streets a dangerous eyesore.

The city is paying $550,000 to demolish the 90-year-old structure. The Leu has a long list of building code violations considered fixable, but pricey to do so.

For history enthusiasts, the loss of the Leu legacy is reason to mourn.

"I'm pretty disappointed," said Patrick McIntyre, a historical consultant. "It's of a historical concern to me that we keep tearing down our landmarks that help to define our heritage."

Historic downtown already suffered a major blow in August with the demolition of the Empire Theater.

During the past 15 years, at least two groups considered trying to rehabilitate the Frank Leu Building, but the efforts never came to fruition.

In February 1982, city building inspectors found 14 major code violations, such as leaking sewer and water pipes. The city ordered the owners to fix the problems.

"As far as the city is concerned, it's an unsafe building," said Dory Brunson, the city's chief building inspector.

Mall and subdivision developer Jim Wilson, who once owned the building, obtained a permit to demolish it in 1984, but the building stood, at least until Saturday.

Frank Leu, a Tennessee insurance executive and philanthropist, purchased the building then called the Old South Life Building, in July 1956, and gave the building its name. The $1.5 million purchase was considered one of the largest commercial real estate transactions in Montgomery at that time.

Leu died earlier this year at the age of 94.

Maggie Means, Leu's daughter, said her father was disappointed when he found out the downtown building would be torn down. However, another building in town will bear Frank Leu's name. St. James School named its elementary school for him last month.

Mayor Emory Folmar will be setting off the implosion, an honor frequently given to local dignitaries.

"It'll take six seconds from detonation for the last brick to fall," said Eric J. Kelly, vice president and chief blaster of Engineered Demolition Inc., which is the explosives subcontractor.

Saturday's six seconds were preceded by several weeks of work by Atlanta-based Hudgins Brothers and Co. Inc., which is the contractor for the demolition.

Saturday's demolition could be delayed if there is low cloud cover or a risk of lightning, said Kelly. A low atmospheric ceiling would bounce shock waves back down to Earth possibly shattering windows of nearby buildings. That's a risk Kelly said no one in his business wants to take.

Kelly said there is no textbook example of how to carry out an implosion, although this one presents no major challenges. Like most older buildings, there were no blueprints to work with he said. It is similar to the demolition of a Detroit hotel Kelly engineered, which was featured this week an a program on The Learning Channel.

Charges will be detonated in sequence to start a slight rotation sending the building toppling away from the Colonial Bank drive through next door. The building should fall in on itself with debris landing only about 15 feet from where the street-side wall stood. But dust will fill the air nearby.

The 3 p.m. blast time will approximately coincide with the conclusion of the Alabama Democratic Conference meeting being held across the street at the Montgomery Civic Center.

Bibb and Commerce streets will be closed at 8 a.m. Saturday. Spectators will be kept back by barricades to a safe zone 800 feet away. Police will conduct sweeps of the area to ensure no thrill seekers try to take a closer look.

Link to Implosion Pictures

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