Intel Shell
{{Short description|Building in Austin, Texas}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Intel Shell
| alternate_names =
| image = Intel shell implosion - Austin.jpg
| caption = Intel Shell building before destruction
| location = 510 W 5th St.
Austin, Texas
| address = 400 West San Antonio Street, Austin, TX 78701
| location_town = Austin, TX
| location_country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|30.2681|-97.7484|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}}
| status = Demolished
| groundbreaking_date = September 2000
| start_date =
| stop_date = March 2001
| completion_date =
| opened_date =
| demolition_date = February 25, 2007
| destruction_date =
| owner = Intel
| cost = $124 million
| map_type =
| map_caption =
| map_dot_label =
| relief = yes
}}
The Intel Shell was an unfinished Intel building located in Austin, Texas. It was imploded on February 25, 2007,{{cite news |title=City prepares to implode Intel shell |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2007/02/19/daily38.html |work=Austin Business Journal |date=22 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070226112716/https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2007/02/19/daily38.html |archive-date=26 February 2007}}{{Cite web |date=2 March 2007 |title=Intel Building Demolition |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2007-03-02/451609/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=The Austin Chronicle |language=en-US}} and the Austin United States Courthouse now stands in its place.
History
The city of Austin had given Intel a $15 million incentive package for the construction of the building, intended to be a ten story chip-design center, built for $124 million. According to the The Austin Chronicle, "Winning the new Intel project symbolized all that was robust about Austin's economy and the revitalization of Downtown, in those high tech glory days."
Because of a slowing economy, construction stopped in March 2001, and the building was abandoned from March 2001 to 2004,{{cite web | title=Farewell, Intel Shell | website=The Austin Chronicle | date=2007-02-23 | url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2007-02-23/449480/ | access-date=2024-09-28}} becoming something of a symbol of the early 2000s recession.{{cite web |last1=Sharpe |first1=Stephen |last2=D'Auterive |first2=Nico |title=Feds Choose Abandoned Intel Block as Preferred Site for U.S. Courthouse |url=https://archive.org/details/usmodernist-TA-2003-09-10/page/12/mode/2up?q=%22intel+shell%22 |publisher=Texas Architect Magazine |page=13 |date=10 September 2003}}{{cite news |last1=Yardley |first1=Jim |title=Capital of an Oil State Feels High-Tech Fall |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/92121361/C21CF4282174FACPQ/2?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |work=The New York Times |date=8 July 2001|id={{ProQuest|92121361}} |via=ProQuest|url-access=subscription}} The abondoned building was a four story structure of steel and concrete decks.{{cite news |last1=Galligan |first1=Jude |title=New Downtown Austin Federal Courthouse Opens, Exorcises Ghost of Intel Shell |url=https://austin.towers.net/new-downtown-austin-federal-courthouse-opens-exorcises-ghost-of-intel-shell/?pro=jenn@towers.net |work=Towers |date=17 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127094754/https://austin.towers.net/new-downtown-austin-federal-courthouse-opens-exorcises-ghost-of-intel-shell/ |archive-date=27 November 2020}} In 2004, the General Services Administration bought the site for the construction of a new courthouse.
The building was imploded a Sunday morning in 2007. Hundreds of spectators cheered the destruction. Mayor Will Wynn had made attempts to preserve the building.
Aftermath
After the demolition, an Austin man sold glass bottles with what he said was debris from the building, labeled "Intel Shell Inside".{{cite news |last1=Weinstein |first1=Natalie |title=The dirt--and dust--on Intel |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/the-dirt-and-dust-on-intel/ |access-date=30 May 2025 |work=CNET |date=12 March 2007 |language=en}} The construction of the Austin U.S. courthouse was completed in 2012.
File:Austin US Courthouse SW.jpg in 2018]]
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.flickr.com/photos/austins_only_paper/albums/72157594556744088/ Intel shell implosion], picture gallery
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c55aNpu9Wcw Intel Shell Demolition - 02/25/07], 2007 video
Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2007
Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Texas
Category:Buildings and structures in Austin, Texas
Category:Unfinished buildings and structures in the United States
Category:Unfinished buildings demolished
Category:Buildings and structures
Category:Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion
Category:Unfinished buildings and structures
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