Bringing Down the House: Sunday's Implosion on Governor's Island

If you were anywhere near Red Hook, Battery City, or Staten Island at approximately 7:36 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, June 9th, you probably heard it–the city’s planned implosion of the abandoned Building 877 on Governor’s Island. While many flocked to several recommended vantage points to watch the implosion happen in person, the event was also streamed live on several sites. The implosion was also live-tweeted from the Governor’s Island twitter page, and many spectators posted photos to the Island’s Facebook, Flickr, and Instagram accounts.

The largest building on Governor’s Island, Building 877 was also over 100 years old, having been constructed in 1905 atop the landfill created by the excavation of the Lexington Avenue subway line. Later, the building was converted to serve as a residence for the families of the National Coast Guard after the consolidation of U.S. military forces in 1966, when the whole of Governor’s Island was transferred to the armed forces for use as a residential community and operations base. Though Building 877 has been abandoned since 1996, many of its former residents were sorry to see it go; several of the building’s previous occupants expressed fond memories of the residence before and after the implosion.

Whether spectators decided to go and see the implosion in person or stay in and watch the historic moment from the comfort of their homes, the Governor’s Island Blog provided them with valuable resources like a live video feed of the implosion and a listing of the best vantage points.

The 30-acre space created by the implosion of Building 877 will be used for the development of new parks and public spaces on the island, making NYC’s favorite summer hangout that much more visitor-friendly in the future.

Get in touch with the author @kellitrapnell.