Mandarin Oriental Hotel demolished in implosion; residents and visitors react

An iconic hotel that graced the Miami skyline has been demolished, with residents and visitors reacting.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a 23 story building, came down early Sunday morning.

“This side, because of the other side, it was probably going to be difficult to see the whole building,” said a witness.

“I’m going to come down here in the morning, cause I’ve never seen a building demolished,” said Ben Ionnota.

The implosion took place at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.

“I’m sad, because it was a beautiful hotel, it was a beautiful building,” said another witness.

“I think the vibe of the island will change a little bit,” said Juan Martinez.

After the demolition, witnesses shared their thoughts.

“At first, I was scared at the explosion, but then, perfect,” said a witness to the demolition.

“The noise, and the control of the explosion, and the demolition, was amazing. Amazing,” said another witness. “It was worth it to come.”

“I think it’s a shame, because I think it was a very beautiful building. And it’s only been around for like 20 years so it’s sad to see relativity modern good looking buildings be demolished,” said a witness.

Some residents on Brickell Key live in the exclusion zone, the 800 foot radius around the hotel.

The affected area includes buildings such as St. Louis Condos, Brickell Key One, Isola and the Brickell Key Centre, who’s residents must stay inside with the doors and windows closed until after the implosion.

“The tower will come down first. The garage will come down second. But to the public eye, it will look like one carefully choreographed event,” said Ivy Fradin, managing member of BG Group Demolition.

“They requested if anyone has any furniture outside on the balconies to bring them inside,” said Juan Martinez. “The baby needs to sleep at some point. So we cannot be going out for so long.”

Martinez lives in the zone with his family, including his five-month-old baby girl, Augustina.

Traffic will be impacted throughout the day, as the Brickell Key bridge will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m..

Bridge traffic has been rerouted westbound to Eighth Street, as the bridge closed at 8 a.m.

While there is no mandatory evacuation, if people choose to leave the island, eastbound traffic at Brickell Avenue and Eighth Street will be blocked after the bridge is closed.

“We’re going to have officers on site and they’re going to help you and guide you and ensure the traffic flows easily,” said City of Miami Police Officer Michael Vega.

The exclusion zone is currently in effect, with residents set to close their doors and windows if they are inside the area.