A Holiday Inn in Arlington was demolished Sunday morning to clear the land for a new development.
Several streets in Rosslyn were closed for much of the morning following the implosion of the building, located at 1900 Fort Myer Drive in Northern Virginia. The implosion was conducted by Controlled Demolition Inc.
The Rosslyn Holiday Inn had been on Fort Meyer Drive for 48 years, seeing near-full occupancies right up to its closing earlier this year.
Its architecture — bold for the 1970s — seemed archaic against the backdrop of the glass and steel towers that’ve grown up around it.
Carefully placed charges made for a precise downfall. The apartment building across the street wasn’t evacuated. Some residents, who were told of the demolition weeks ago, covered their balconies with plastic to shield from the massive dust cloud.
The sound could be heard as far away as Logan Circle in D.C.
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Crews immediately began clearing the dust from Gateway Park, using big machines to clear the rubble where the hotel stood just minutes before.
The new development that will replace the Rosslyn Holiday Inn was approved by the Arlington County Board last year and will include a residential tower, a new hotel and a conference center.
“This redevelopment of a highly visible site in Rosslyn is an important step toward achieving the community’s vision of a more vibrant and walkable urban village,“ Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said in a news release last year when the redevelopment was announced.
Across the street, plans are to partially demolish the Key Bridge Marriott and reconfigure it with a combination of hotel and residential spaces.
Due to road closures enforced by the Arlington County Police Department, Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Department of Transportation, members of the public should avoid the area and watch local media coverage of the implosion instead, officials say.
The following roads in Arlington County were affected:
6:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Lee Highway Eastbound from North Quinn Street to North Lynn Street
6:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Fort Myer Drive from Lee Highway Westbound to Wilson Boulevard
6:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. 19th Street North from North Lynn Street to Fort Myer Drive
6:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. North Nash Street from Fort Myer Drive to Key Boulevard
6:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. North Nash Street from Key Boulevard to Lee Highway Westbound
6:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. North Moore Street from 19th Street North to Lee Highway
6:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. Lee Highway Westbound from North Lynn Street to North Oak Street
6:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Fort Myer Drive from GW Parkway to Lee Highway Westbound
6:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Key Boulevard from North Nash Street to North Oak Street
6:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. North Nash Street from Key Boulevard to Wilson Boulevard
6:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. Colonial Terrace – Residents Only
6:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Key Bridge diverted onto GW Parkway Northbound
7:45 a.m.–8:30 a.m. I-66 Eastbound Closed at Exit 72 Lee Highway / Spout Run
7:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. I-66 Eastbound ramp closed for Exit 73 Rosslyn / Key Bridge
7:45 a.m.–8:30 a.m. I-66 Westbound Closed at TR Bridge traffic diverted to GW Parkway or Route 50, Route 110 Closed at Memorial Circle
7:45 a.m.–10:00 a.m. I-66 Westbound ramp closed for Exit 73 Lee Highway / Rosslyn / Key Bridge
