TACOMA, Wash. — The Asarco copper smelting facility operated in Tacoma for nearly a century, but the highly contaminated site was dismantled, starting in the 1980s. In January 1993 the last piece came tumbling down.
More than 60,000 spectators came to watch from a safe distance that day, jamming nearby streets, rooftops, and filling boats on Commencement Bay.
Twelve-year-old Justin Corp won a contest for the chance to push the ceremonial plunger that marked the start of the long-planned implosion.
Seconds before the controlled explosion, sprinklers were activated to tamp down the impending dust cloud.
Eight seconds later, the tower was a pile of rubble.
The former Asarco complex is now part of the Point Ruston development. Where that smokestack once stood, a 36-home subdivision now overlooks Commencement Bay.
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