New Orleans– Work crews brought down the former Pallas Hotel in the first downtown implosion in the city’s history.  Actually, the building had many lives, including one in which it was called the Grand Palace– hence, the confusion.  For a time, it was also an apartment complex.  After months of preparation, the building at Canal and Claiborne finally met its end Sunday morning.  Work crews set off explosives to allow gravity to bring the building crashing onto itself.  The demolition will make way for part of the LSU Medical Center campus.

For a slideshow of the action, scroll through the pictures below: