EVANSVILLE, Ind (WEHT) – In less than three weeks, on November 21, the Tri-State’s tallest building, 420 Main, is coming down. Many of the windows have been removed and sections of the elevator shaft are gone in preparation of the demolition.
Businesses near the 420 Main building have been told what to expect in the weeks leading up to the implosion.
“They’re gonna bring the explosions in, they’ll have it under police protection for those three days before the implosion,” said Alicia Rupert, owner of Bargetown Market, “They compared it to just a semi driving by on the street because the building’s not actually coming down, it’ll be disintegrated as it comes down and then gravity is bringing it down. They said the biggest concern would be sound.”
Anybody who was outdoors at the time would need to wear earbuds. People inside are being told to stay away from windows.
Jamia Brown from Lic’s Ice Cream said she was told many downtown streets will be blocked off and large shipping containers would be stacked up in the streets.
As for the storefronts, owners were told that there would be a lot of dust.
“They told us to cover everything just as general maintenance because there will be a lot of dust in the air so we’ll cover our heating and air units because they’re up on top of our roofs.”
Brown said they may have to turn off their freezers at Lic’s during the implosion so no debris would be let in. She said they would be escorted back in to turn them back on afterwards.
Business owners were told that crews would start cleaning streets and sidewalks immediately and should be finished with most around noon.
“Even though leading up to it, they’re going to have the roads closed, all the sidewalks are going to be open so you can still come because we will stay open.”
Rubert said that she and her husband installed their own water spigot so they can pressure wash their own building throughout the upcoming weeks.
