The water tower stood over 100 feet tall in a vacant lot off North Olden Avenue. Watch video
TRENTON -- It towered over East Trenton for 88 years.
On Saturday morning, after some prep work, it fell to Earth in seconds.
The 88-year-old tower stood over 100 feet tall and was the last vestige of the Kramer refrigeration company that once did business at the North Olden Avenue property.
Just after 8:30 a.m. Saturday, construction workers tore down the base of the tower to the delight of developer Jeffrey Faigle of Faigle Realty Co., the company that owns the property.
"88 years of history just fell to the ground," Faigle said after the tower fell into the vacant with a metallic thud.
"It came down faster than I thought it would," he said.
The Saturday morning demolition, which cost $25,000, was "the last piece of the puzzle" of an effort to clear the property for Jersey Precast, a company that will use the land for storage, according to Faigle.
MORE: Old East Trenton water tower to come toppling down
The structure was originally built in 1927 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., which is still in business today as CB&I.
"Today was a beautiful day to do this," said Faigle. "Everyone did a great job."
The Kramer company went out of business in 1990 and the three-story brick factory went up in flames in September 1996.
Faigle obtained the property about a year ago and has been clearing it ever since in preparation for a tenant.
Rich Cuccagna may be reached at rcuccagna@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichCuccagna. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
