Have You Seen This? Iconic tower turns into a cloud of dust

A 540-foot-tall cooling tower in Hartsville, Tennessee, was demolished a month ago, to make way for something new.

A 540-foot-tall cooling tower in Hartsville, Tennessee, was demolished a month ago, to make way for something new. (Tennessee Valley Authority via Facebook)


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Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

TENNESSEE — It's always strange when an iconic structure makes way for new development. I still remember when the Salt Palace arena was demolished in the '90s. It seemed like an essential part of the city had been removed, and it took me a long time to get acclimated to the new Salt Palace when the convention center was built.

But it's important to remember that these things happen all the time. After all, the Salt Palace arena was the second building in the city to bear that name. The first was a massive structure that housed a gorgeous theater.

The original Salt Palace was destroyed by fire in 1910. It was actually the work of the same architect who also designed the original Saltair. That magnificent structure on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, which likewise fell victim to fire in 1925, was replaced later by a second version. Once the second Saltair was finished off by fire in 1970, after years of decline and neglect, it was followed by the third Saltair, which remains today.

So it's nothing new to have iconic structures go the way of the dodo. The difference is that they're more often taken out strategically now rather than burning down accidentally.

Check out the demolition in this video.

According to a social media update from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which is the nation's largest public power supplier, this demolition involved the 540-foot-tall cooling tower at the Hartsville Nuclear Plant.

I'm sure it'll be strange for the locals to not see such an unmistakable tower when they look in that direction. But who knows? Maybe the construction of an even bigger tower is on the horizon.

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Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com contributor team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things.
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