US demolition goes off with a colourful bang

Talk about going out with a blast.

The Hotel Wellington Annax - a vacant 11-story building in Albany, New York – was demolished yesterday in a speculator Fourth of July-style send-off that included red, blue and white fireworks.

As the building lit up like a Christmas tree symphony of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' could be heard emanating from an eager crowd who gathered to watch the planned implosion.

"They put on a show," witness Harold Grimm told the Times Union. "It was pretty awesome".

The site's previous owner, Columbia Development, had kept details of the whizz-bang demolition a secret until the day.

"I thought that was a nice little surprise," said Columbia Development owner Joseph Nicolla said.

There are plans to use the cleared land to build an upscale hotel which is expected to cost $161m.