Hospital demolished in Ormond Beach

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Ormond Beach was demolished in a controlled implosion Sunday morning.

At least 150 sticks of dynamite brought down the 45-year-old building at 7:30 a.m. The demolition was coordinated by Florida Hospital and conducted by Central Environmental Services, Inc.

Officials closed the main portion of the hospital in July of 2009. A cancer center remained open until October 2010, and since then the building has sat vacant.

To maintain the empty medical center, Florida Hospital officials said it was costing approximately $800,000 a year.

The building, which was seven stories high, was demolished in less than 10 seconds.  Roughly 75 percent of the debris from the implosion is expected to be recycled.

All access roads surrounding the hospital, which is located at 875 Sterthaus Avenue, were closed during the demolition. Officials say local traffic will be re-routed.

WFTV