Video captured the dramatic moment the Sheraton Crossroads Hotel in New Jersey crumbled to the ground in a controlled demolition Saturday morning, marking an end to the 36-year chapter of the Route 17 landmark.
Hundreds of onlookers gathered along the highway in Mahwah to witness the 22-story glass and steel structure nestled on the New Jersey and New York border fall, North Jersey reported.
The demolition, carried out just before 7:30 a.m., sent booming echoes through several parts of New Jersey — with residents in Midland Park, Montebello, Wyckoff, and Waldwick reporting they heard the loud blast, the outlet said.
The massive complex was demolished just 15 seconds after detonation, and was met by cheers from the crowd, video showed.
The Sheraton Crossroads opened in October 1987 and was once a popular hotel and wedding venue known for its shimmering glass facade and mountain views.
The space shuttered permanently in December 2023, and developers originally said they were planning to put two warehouses on the site. However, Patch reports that the owners are now considering other options.
The implosion, which drew scores of people with cameras set up to catch a glimpse, was coordinated by several agencies, including the state Department of Labor, according to the outlet.
“That was wild,” Sarah Warren from West Milford told the Record just after the demolition.
“It’s crazy to be gone. I used to drive by it all the time,” she said.
“That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” another onlooker, Nick Morales, said.
The Sheraton Crossroads had floors reserved for offices, and developers planned on eventually opening up several more nearby office buildings. But, the vision was a “gamble,” developer James D’Agostino told the Record.
Additional office buildings were never built, and the hotel struggled to find tenants, D’Agostino said.
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