CrosleyTower DemolitionEngineering UniversityOfCincinnati ConstructionSafety

Crosley Tower demolition shows why some buildings must come down slowly

Jul, 01, 2026
Concrete Structures Slabs News On Projects / Industry
United States, Ohio, Cincinnati
Authored by: TheCivilEngineer.org

*Crosley Tower is being dismantled floor by floor using a controlled top-down demolition sequence in the middle of an active university campus. Source: ENR (image by O'Rourke Wrecking Co)*

The 17-story Crosley Tower at the University of Cincinnati is being dismantled through a carefully controlled top-down demolition, floor by floor and slab by slab. The project is removing one of the campus’s most recognisable concrete buildings, a Brutalist tower completed in 1969 and known for its unusual construction history.

Crosley Tower was built using a continuous concrete pour that lasted 18 days and nights. At the time, it was described as one of the largest continuously poured concrete structures in the United States, second only to the Hoover Dam. That same robust construction now makes the building extremely difficult to remove.

The tower had housed classrooms and research laboratories, but its ageing concrete, foundations and outdated internal layout made renovation unsuitable. Instead, the university moved forward with a $47.5 million demolition programme, expected to continue into early 2027.

Although implosion is often associated with large building demolitions, it was not a practical option for Crosley Tower. The building stands in a dense and active university campus, surrounded by occupied buildings, utilities, pedestrian routes and daily campus operations. A sudden collapse would have created unacceptable risks from vibration, air overpressure, debris spread and loss of control.

Full mechanical demolition from ground level was also limited by the tower’s height and heavily reinforced concrete frame. The chosen method is therefore based on precision rather than force.

Each floor is cut into manageable slab sections, typically around 8 ft by 10 ft to 10 ft by 12 ft, depending on column spacing, beam locations and penetrations. The sections are then rigged and lifted away using cranes. Some slab pieces are expected to weigh up to about 16 tons.

After the slab sections are removed, beams and columns are taken down in a planned sequence before the team moves to the next level. This approach keeps the remaining structure stable at every stage.

The main engineering challenge is not only the strength of the concrete. It is the need to demolish the building safely while the surrounding campus continues to function.

The heavily reinforced concrete tower requires precision demolition, engineered lifting and careful material recovery rather than implosion. Source: ENR (image by O'Rourke Wrecking Co)

Work zones, crane picks, haul routes and trucking movements must be tightly planned to avoid congestion and protect pedestrians. Daily hazard reviews, field verification and updated work plans are essential because older buildings often contain unexpected conditions. In Crosley Tower, heavier reinforcement, embedded elements, undocumented utilities and decades of modifications have required adjustments to cutting patterns and rigging methods.

Specialist saws, core drilling, engineered rigging and high-capacity cranes are being used to separate and remove the structure in a controlled way. At lower levels, high-reach excavators will support the remaining demolition works.

The project also has a major materials recovery element. Around 25,000 to 30,000 tons of concrete and 1,000 to 1,500 tons of reinforcing and structural steel are expected to be removed, with much of the non-contaminated concrete planned for recycling.

Crosley Tower shows that demolition is often an engineering project in its own right. For heavily reinforced concrete buildings in dense urban settings, the safest solution is not the fastest collapse. It is a controlled sequence where every cut, lift and load path is understood before the next piece is removed.

Sources: www.enr.com, xaviernewswire.com