DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
The Daytona Beach Pier will close at 9 p.m. Monday so that crews can begin the demolition of the 43-year-old Space Needle. Demolition is expected to begin at midnight; however, the 9 p.m. closing time is necessary to allow time for Joe's Crab Shack's patrons to finish their meals and workers to complete their shifts.
City officials said demolition of the Space Needle is necessary, because a section of the iconic attraction broke off and fell onto the pier on Saturday afternoon. No one was injured by the falling piece of rusty metal, and currently the area around the Space Needle is sectioned off with police tape.
The pier will reopen tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. and will close again Tuesday night at 9 p.m. Crews will work during the overnight hours for the next three to five nights to dismantle the 166-foot structure. While the overnight demolition takes place, the pier is expected to be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Daytona Beach resident Michael Smyres has been hoping for a few years now that the city would renovate the space needle. "I had a lot of good memories on that thing when I was a kid. I think it would be a big tourist attraction too."
City leaders said there was talk about renovating it, but about a year ago, several other businesses expressed an interest in the space occupied by the structure. So plans were already in place to tear it down.
The cost of the emergency demolition is approximately $60,000. The Space Needle has not been operational since 2005.
