CHAMBLEE, Ga. — A vacant, 18-story office tower that once housed the Georgia Department of Revenue is set to be imploded Saturday morning.
Workers have spent several months gutting and removing windows from the building at 1800 Century Blvd. in Chamblee. The detonation is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. Saturday.
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Dave Savignano, owner of Cartersville-based Atlas Demolition, told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims it takes much engineering to strategically place the explosive charges and time the detonations.
“And within two seconds, the building should be safely on the ground,” he said. “It usually takes two to three seconds.”
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The tower was built in 1981 and has been unoccupied since 2024. There were plans to convert the building into residential space, but they were scrapped.
“There’s really no use for it as a residential structure,” he said. “It just costs too much to convert it to residential.”
And nobody could find use for it commercially, either. Given that it’s 45 years old, the building was seen as too dated, Savignano told Channel 2 Action News.
Imploding high-rise buildings like this make up less than one percent of building demolitions, and he said this project is setting a precedent in itself.
“This will be the first time that a triangle-shaped building has been imploded,” he said. “So all the engineering is very unique on it.”
Chamblee and Brookhaven police, along with the F-B-I, will close roads and set up a wide perimeter to keep the public safely away.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of outreach to our website,” Savignano said of his company. “People are wanting to view it.”
You can watch a livestream of the detonation on WSB-TV.com and watch coverage of it on Channel 2 Action News Saturday AM.
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