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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: February 25, 2011
The views around North Avenue and Techwood Drive are about to change dramatically in a few days, when a building emblematic of a former era comes crashing down.
At around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27, anyone in the vicinity of that intersection will hear a choreographed string of explosions, initiating a controlled collapse of the Roosevelt House. In less than one minute, the 17-story building named for the nation’s 32nd president will be reduced to a pile of rubble.
While no buildings will need to be evacuated, contracting crews will take measures to protect surrounding structures from debris and dust. For those who would like to watch the implosion, the Atlanta Housing Authority will have a viewing area set up behind Centennial Place Elementary School on Luckie Street.
Until last year, the building served as public housing for senior and disabled citizens. Atlanta — home of the first public housing development — is also the first major city to eliminate all of its large housing projects.
Demolition experts have spent several weeks in preparation, weakening the structure with precise drilling and cutting. The morning of the event, a security perimeter will be established, preventing traffic from entering the evacuation zone.
The following day, crews will begin hauling debris away. Site clearing is expected to take four to six weeks.