Crews imploded the tallest building in Baytown on Saturday morning.
The 10-story ExxonMobil main office building had been standing for 50 years.
‘Sad to see it go:’ Baytown bids farewell to its tallest building, ExxonMobil office to be imploded
Debbie Himsel pushed the plunger at exactly 6:30 a.m., which triggered an implosion of the tallest building in Baytown.
“How did it feel?” asked Cathy Hernandez.
“Mixed feelings, mixed feelings. It’s a landmark, lots of memories, for a lot of people,” said Himsel.
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She and her husband Mark won the opportunity at an auction through the local Rotary Club.
Debbie is a Baytown native and was in high school when it opened.
“(It was)exciting. It was a big thing for Baytown. We were here when it was built, and you know the history behind it, and we’ve had tons of relatives, including my dad, for almost 43 years that worked for Olefins Plant, even before it was Exxon,” said Himsel.
Built in 1971, the old 10-story ExxonMobil Main Office Building, known as “The White House,” stood tall for 50 years.
Longtime Baytown residents, 90-year-old Lawrence Herbert and his wife Ruth, came out to watch the historic moment.
“It’s exciting, but at the same time, kind of nostalgic, because you pass it every day, every day, back-and-forth and back-and-forth, and you just expect it to be there,” said Ruth Herbert.
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“A building like that to me, it was so nice. It wasn’t long ago, I walked in there so it’s so nice. You can’t believe it’s gone,” said Lawrence Herbert.
In seconds, the White House was gone, but in its place, will be something just as special.
“We have plans, continued growth, plans with new technologies, investments, that will bring future growth in the years to come,” said Kim Haas, the site manager at ExxonMobil’s Baytown Olefin Site
ExxonMobil said it was a success and while there are no official plans, they’re excited for the future in Baytown.