Ocean Tower

Ocean Tower SPI
Map
General information
TypeCondominium
Architectural stylePostmodernism
LocationSouth Padre Island, Texas, United States
AddressPadre Boulevard across SPI Convention Center
Coordinates26°08′47″N 97°10′16″W / 26.146459°N 97.171141°W / 26.146459; -97.171141
Construction startedFebruary 2, 2006
Construction stoppedMay 2008
DemolishedDecember 13, 2009
Height115.51 metres (379.0 ft)
Technical details
MaterialReinforced concrete
Floor count31
Lifts/elevators4
Design and construction
Architecture firmWalker & Perez, Inc.

Ocean Tower SPI was an unfinished, 31-story condominium in South Padre Island, Cameron County, Texas, United States, that was imploded when it was deemed unsafe to remain standing. Construction was halted in May 2008 when cracks formed in the building's supporting columns, and investigations revealed that the core of the skyscraper had sunk by more than 14 inches (360 mm). Though the developers initially vowed to fix the problem, studies discovered that repairs would have been too expensive, and plans for its demolition were announced in September 2009. At the time of its controlled implosion in December 2009 the building weighed 55,000 short tons (50,000 t), and it was the tallest reinforced concrete structure to be demolished in that way. It was nicknamed "Faulty Towers" and "The Leaning Tower of South Padre Island".[1][2]

  1. ^ "$100,000,000.00 Skyscraper Fail!" – via www.youtube.com.
  2. ^ "An Engineer's Nightmare – Ocean Tower, South Padre Island | the blog of rio akasaka". www.rioleo.org.