Chicago Beach Hotel goes in one blast

1997 - It took less than half a minute and one not-too-loud blast for the once-majestic and serene Chicago Beach Hotel to turn into a heap of rubble. A team of six Britons from the Controlled Demolition Group Ltd heaved a sigh of relief at a job well done as the sprinklers from fire trucks reached upwards to contain the clouds of dust. An awesome 12,000 tonnes of debris is what is left of the 19-year-old property, one of the first seaside resorts built in Dubai. The demolition was part of a plan to improve the property by building a new 600-room resort hotel and a water theme park to be laid out on the 120,000 square metres of land where the old hotel once stood. The Police had cordoned off the demolition site, and the beach road leading to the hotel was closed to traffic.