The former Zumbiel packaging plant in Norwood, Ohio is scheduled to be imploded March 22, clearing way for a 20-acre campus extension at Xavier University.

Devastation fans can watch the six-story building crumble at 8 a.m. from a number of distant vantage points, though the perimeter around the blast site will be cordoned off for safety reasons. The entire affair should take about four seconds, though it will take 10 to 12 seconds for the building to begin to fall into a pile of debris 30 feet high, according to Xavier University.

The site, once cleaned out, will then begin transformation into Xavier Square, a complex that will include student housing, a health center, fitness club and book store, as well as restaurants, a hotel, offices and shops. It will be developed through partnership of Xavier University and Corporex Cos. in Covington.

Xavier purchased the nine acres from Zumbiel in 2004, when the company moved its plant to Hebron. Another seven acres of the site were donated by a BASF chemical plant.

The liberal arts university warns that the implosion will not be as spectacular as that of Riverfront Stadium. The work will be handled by Controlled Demolition Inc., Phoenix, Md., which also imploded the Seattle Kingdome and the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The rubble will be removed by J&L management Corp. of Mount Clemens, Mich. Xavier plans to recycle as much of the debris as possible, with the steel going to AK Steel, for example.

No damage is expected to nearby homes or buildings. The contractor will measure pre- and post-implosion baselines for noise and vibration, and structures will be reinforced if necessary.

"Both the university and our neighboring communities, Norwood and Evanston, have been working together for a very long time for the opportunity to bring this type of revitalization to our neighborhood," the Rev. Michael Graham, university president, said in a press release. "It will help us attract students, home owners, business owners and visitors from all over the city and the country."

The event is not expected to be delayed for rain but may be postponed if there are thunderstorms.