The 13-story M.L. King Tower, built as a public housing complex in 1968, came crashing down early Sunday during a planned implosion.

Atlanta Housing Authority officials described the building as "obsolete and distressed." The last of the seniors who lived there moved out several months ago.

The cost of the implosion was $1.57 million. The building will be replaced by a mixed-income community.

Atlanta Demolition and DYKON worked together on the project.

"This is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward move," said Barry Roberts, president of Atlanta Demolition. "But it's the only way it could come down."
Atlanta was the first city to build public housing during the Great Depression. By June 2010, it will become the first city to eliminate large, traditional public housing projects.

"We're tearing down old, traditional projects and breaking the cycle of poverty," said the Atlanta Housing Authority's Rick White. "Atlanta is leading the way when it comes to these mixed income developments. Crime is down as much as 95 percent. Schools are improving dramatically. The area income is improving dramatically."

Two more public housing towers are scheduled to be demolished in the coming months.

The concrete from the site will be recycled.