Reduced to rubble: Georgia Archives building imploded

ATLANTA - The old Georgia Archives building is has been reduced to rubble. The 14-story marble building, known as "the White Ice Cube," was imploded early Sunday morning to make way for a new $110 million judicial complex.

Governor Nathan Deal delivered remarks moments before he, along with 5-year-old Devon Simmons, a sickle-cell anemia patient at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, pulled the plunger, cueing the implosion to begin. The blast lasted no longer than a minute before large clouds of smoke filled the air.

The Georgia Archives building, located a block south of the state Capitol, had been the home of the state archives agency between 1965 and 2003, when the agency relocated to Morrow, Georgia.

In 1993, engineers found that the building was sinking -- a result of ground water in the area and the construction of an interstate nearby.

The state plans to use the old site for a new building estimated to cost more than $110 million for the Georgia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

The following roads have been closed due to the implosion:

• 332 Capitol Avenue, SE, Atlanta, GA 30334
• Capitol Avenue, SE between Memorial Drive and Fulton Street (Permit # TC-14621).
• Terry Street, SE between Woodward Avenue and Memorial Drive (Permit # TC-14267).
• Martin Street, SE between Woodward Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr Drive (Permit # TC-14268).
• Frazer Street, SE between Rawson Street and Memorial Drive (Permit # TC-14269).
• Woodward Avenue, SE between Frazer Street and Martin Street (Permit # TC-14270).
• Memorial Drive, SE between Capitol Avenue and King Street (GDOT Permit). 

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