Downtown New Orleans hotel implosion moves back a month.
State officials said Monday morning that they have rescheduled the implosion of the Grand Palace Hotel to 18 December 2011. They have not announced a time.
The implosion, part of the site preparation for the University Medical Center project in Mid-City, originally was scheduled for this Sunday.
The 17-story building was constructed in 1950-51 by Shelby Construction at a cost of $10 million, using mortgage insurance from the Federal Housing Administration. The structure opened as Claiborne Towers, with 1,036 apartments, retail and commercial space, and a 300-car parking garage. The property passed through a series of owners over the succeeding decades and underwent several renovations as, among other entities, a Sheraton hotel, a residential facility for older New Orleanians and a Ramada hotel. At least two ownership groups declared bankruptcy. Most recently operating as the Grand Palace Hotel, the building has been closed since Hurricane Katrina.
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