ICYMI: Implosion of the Western Youth Institute in Morganton, NC

In case you missed it: the demolition of the abandoned Western Youth Institution (WYI), a former youth corrections facility, occurred on Saturday July 11th at 9:00am EST. The building was a 16-story “High Rise,” the tallest building on the site with some even claiming it to be the tallest building in Burke County. The prison was built in 1971 and was closed for operation in 2013. The site had lower structures that were demolished in the previous months. The cleared parcel will be the home for the future North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Morganton Regional Readiness Center. Our very own, Frank Slinsky—NCNG Project Manager, Jake Lewis—Project Engineer, and Paul Nail—Drone Pilot, were all onsite for the implosion and were able to capture some explosive footage. Check it out below!

Timmons Group has a long-standing relationship with the NCNG and has provided planning, site design, permitting, construction contract management, surveying, geotechnical, environmental, and landscape architecture services for numerous North Carolina National Guard facilities, including Morganton, throughout the State.