Chainkeen Exchange-Watch Louisiana tower turn into dust as city demolishes building ravaged by hurricanes

A 21-story skyscraper in Louisiana,Chainkeen Exchange abandoned for almost four years, was demolished over the weekend after it was damaged beyond repair by multiple hurricanes which passed through the region starting in August 2020.

The Hertz Tower, formerly known as the Capital One Tower in Lake Charles, was reduced to a pile of dust and rubble on Saturday after demolition crew set off a series of explosions inside during a planned demolition. Video footage captured by Adam Janies shows the building collapsing within seconds into a pile that was around five stories high, marking the end of an era spanning 41 years.

Watch demolition of Lake Charles tower

The demolition included the lower atrium, the 21-story tower, and a sky bridge that connected the main structure to the parking garage, the city of Lake Charles said in an update on the city's website. The parking garage was not demolished.

Demolition work on the tower was carried out privately by the owner of the former Capital One Tower, Hertz Investment Group, the city said.

"This project is a private project, contracted out by the private property owners, and being paid for with private dollars," the city said.

Building damaged during Hurricane Laura

The tower, which was the tallest building in Lake Charles and a prominent feature of the city’s skyline for more than four decades, was majorly damaged when Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast in August 2020 and powerful winds ripped through the city. Many of the glass windows up the 22-story tower were blown out as glass fell from the building.

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The building also sustained damages and became an eyesore with shattered windows and shredded tarps after subsequent hurricanes such as Hurricane Delta hit the region.

In the aftermath of the damages, the owners put the building up for sale, KSLA reported, but were unable to secure a buyer given the extensive repair work involved.

'Emotional moment,' says Mayor Nic Hunter

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter, in a detailed post on Facebook, said the demolition of the tower was "tough" and an "emotional moment for a lot of us."

Hunter said his administration made multiple efforts to save the Capital One Tower, meeting with "a dozen potential development groups who were interested in rehabilitating" the building.

"We never declined any meeting request from anyone who wished to discuss this property," Hunter said. "In each instance, every single time, with each group who asked to meet with us, we laid out a variety of incentives."

However, nothing seemed to work out in the post-COVID real estate landscape given renovation costs for the tower after ranged from $100 million to $150 million, Hunter said.

Hunter said he did not want The Hertz Tower to follow the same path as 45-story Plaza Tower in New Orleans that has remained in a derelict state for almost 20 years after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

"Had my administration not taken the steps we did, Lake Charles would have our own Plaza Tower simply by another name," Hunter said.

The mayor concluded by saying that while the demolition was an emotional moment, the city is not "defined by one building."

"All of this doesn’t mean that the tower coming down shouldn’t have been an emotional moment for a lot of us," Hunter said. "It was emotional for me, but I know that this City is not defined by one building. This morning, the sun rose on Lake Charles, and all that makes this community so wonderful and special was still here as well."

Located on the banks of the Calcasieu River and close to the Texas border, Lake Charles is about two hours from Houston and three hours from New Orleans.

Cleanup work around the demolition is expected to take approximately 90 days post-implosion, the city said, adding that the site will be ready for development after that. However, the future of the site is yet to be determined.

Contributing: Ryan W. Miller, Trevor Hughes, Rick Jervis, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.