Candlestick Park Demolition Begins In Earnest; Excavators Start Tearing Down Iconic Stadium
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- After preliminary work to tear out seats and other items, crews have begun the heavy work of tearing down Candlestick Park, longtime home of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers.
The iconic stadium is being torn down to make room for a development project that will include a hotel, shopping center and residential units.
The piece-by-piece demolition began on Monday, and reporters were allowed inside the stadium Wednesday to take one final look.
"No swinging wrecking balls like you see in the movies," said project site manager Jermaine Smith. "Just more precise equipment, because what we want to do is, do our best to reduce the dust."
Last month, the decision was made to tear down the stadium rather than implode it over concerns the implosion would unleash a toxic cloud on the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood next to it.
A project spokesman said crews would tear down the ramps to the upper deck and then begin demolition of the stadium's upper deck.
Built as an open-ended ballpark in 1960 for the Giants, it was enclosed in 1970 to accomodate the 49ers.
