New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel Crane Partial Demolition

Published October 20, 2019

On October 12, 2019, several floors of the 18-story Hard Rock Hotel under construction in New Orleans collapsed. The collapse killed three workers and injured many others. As a result of the collapse, two large construction cranes attached to the structure were left unstable. One of the cranes was approximately 250 feet tall, and the other stood about 300 feet. Due to the location of the construction, both cranes threatened historical buildings as well as utilities, including gas and water lines.

On October 20, 2019, both cranes at the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans were partially taken down by planned, simultaneous explosive charges. Demolition crews indicated that the tops of the two cranes were supposed to come down similar to an umbrella being closed, and fall onto the already partially collapsed building for further demolition. One crane appears to have fallen nearly as planned, while the other fell onto a nearby street.

There was a large exclusion zone for the demolition of the cranes, and no injuries due to the crane falling into the street have been reported.

Video of New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel Crane Partial Demolition