The leaning tower of...Dallas

A former Affiliated Computer Services building in Dallas "refused" to collapse during demolition works. Now, it is known as the "Leaning Tower of Dallas".

On February 16, 2020, a demolition was conducted to take the 11-story building down. The implosion was regular and all the explosives were triggered but instead of collapsing, the center of the building balanced in an inclined position that reminds the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy. 

The company in charge of the demolition, Lloyd D. Nabors Demolition, stated that there is no threat to people or to the adjacent buildings associated with the current condition of the leaning structure. 

The building went viral since people rushed to take photos and upload its impressive appearance on social media. In addition, more than 1600 people have signed a petition to prevent the destruction of the landmark. "Unfortunately, the demolition will be completed soon to make way for even more hideous shops and condos for the bourgeois residents of Uptown Dallas," the petition announcement denotes. Their purpose is to make the building a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Despite this initiative, it was decided that the demolition process must continue, this time with the traditional technique of crane and wrecking ball utilization. The wrecking ball measures less than 1,1 meters in diameter and weighs about 2,54 tons. One humorous tweet notes: “Everything is big in Texas … except wrecking balls.’’ 

A replica of the structure was recreated in Legoland Discovery Center Dallas Fort Worth, a lego family center located between Fort Worth and Dallas. “Earlier that day I was just thinking about how many people were talking about this leaning tower, and so many people were going out there to take pictures of them attempting to hold it up. And so I thought it would be really fun to build it and recreate it for our Miniland (the center's facility that features Dallas and Fort Worth's iconic buildings)” Matthew Graham, a center's master model builder assistant, stated.

The new demolition process may last for days or even weeks. Crews have partially knocked down part of the building's top floor to make the procedure safer.