FARGO — A giant cartoon-style ACME demolition detonator is not likely to feature in the implosion of the Lashkowitz High Rise, much to the chagrin of Fargo Housing CEO Chris Brungardt.

However, he notes they are playing around with the idea of a lottery fundraiser to determine who gets to push the button that brings the 204-foot structure crashing down.

The Lashkowitz High Rise, 101 Second St. S. in downtown Fargo, is coming down this August after years of planning .

A towering 22 stories high, the Lashkowitz High Rise has stood on the shores of the Red River overlooking both metros for more than 50 years. Fargo Housing is planning to replace the aging structure with modern affordable apartments.

Funding necessary for the demolition, which will cost roughly $4.8 million, was received in November 2022.

“It's going to be exciting,” Brungardt said, adding he plans to close the office so the whole team can watch the implosion.

Fargo Housing has chosen Target Contractors LLC to oversee both the asbestos abatement and demolition.

David Evans, president of Target Contractors, said the building is going to come directly downward once the demolition charges are set off, collapsing in on itself like a house of cards.

"The ground will shake," Evans said, describing the sight of a building that size coming down as "epic." Less that 1% of demolitions are done via implosion, Evans said.

With safety top-of-mind, plans will be to establish a perimeter wall of shipping containers around the north side of the building, Brungardt said. The containers will be stacked three high and two wide and topped with a thick netting to catch fly-away bricks.

The safety provisions will ensure debris doesn’t spread out after the implosion and damage neighboring buildings. In addition, all the buildings on the block will have their windows, doors and air handling units sealed up to prevent dust invasion.

Explosive charges will be placed on five different levels to knock out the supportive steel columns that hold the building in place.

Prior to the big bang, workers will remove all interior non-load-bearing walls, cut all vertical piping, weaken the stairs and elevators by cutting rails and strip the exterior brick veneer from the floors wired with explosives.

Despite the lengthy preparation process, the explosion itself will take a mere 15 to 18 seconds, according to Target Contractors. The building will come down like a ton of bricks.

The last time an implosion of this magnitude happened in the region was when MSUM's Neumaier Hall, a 15-story dormitory, was brought down in 1999 . Hundreds gathered to view the sight at the time.

Brungardt anticipates many community members will want to be present when the historic building comes down. Once pre-demolition modeling is completed, a safe space to view the implosion will be identified.

“There is always that uncertainty of what may go awry,” Brungardt said of the implosion. “They (contractors) want to make sure no one is in the path of where this is going to fall.”

Demolition officials will be coordinating closely with the city of Fargo on the day of to ensure the public’s safety.

An implosion wasn't necessarily the plan from the start, as a big turning point in the planning process came when Fargo Housing had to decide how to bring down the towering structure.

Five applications were received from different firms for the project, with three favoring implosion as the demolition method. The other two leaned toward tearing the structure down bit by bit.

One firm even suggested using robots to get the job done, Brungardt said.

“I think both methods would have been fine, but the implosion met our time frame a lot better,” Brungardt said, noting tenants will begin occupying The Arch building, a new construction owned by EPIC, in October.

“There is no doubt in the world if you're going to demolish a building, you don’t want to do it with another one 60 feet away,” Brungardt said. The contractor has factored the The Arch building's safety into the demolition planning, he added.

Included in the time frame is the expected 75-day process of eliminating the asbestos problem that has overwhelmed the old structure.

“They must have had a sale on asbestos,” Brungardt laughed, “because … (it’s) everywhere in the building.”

Thirty people are slated for the asbestos removal team, he said, and they are expected to remove 923 tons of asbestos.

All told, officials anticipate 2,717 tons of concrete, 817.5 tons of metal and 349 tons of construction debris will be taken away over the course of 30 days following the implosion.

Most everything from the building will be recycled, Brungardt said.

While these numbers are giant, the Lashkowitz High Rise building has always meant more to the community than the sum of its parts.

First opening in 1971, the Lashkowitz High Rise provided affordable housing along the riverfront to Fargo seniors and represents a beloved piece of Fargo history.

“I understand there is significance to these things,” Evans said, noting the building has stood prominently as part of Fargo's skyline for years and that many people will have fond memories of the apartment complex.

There will be a pile of bricks laid aside after the implosion for locals who want a piece of the historic building to take home with them, Evans said.

The building’s namesake, Herschel Lashkowitz , served as Fargo’s mayor from 1954 to 1974. Lashkowitz created the Fargo Housing Authority during his years of service, according to Brungardt.

“He was quite a champion of affordable housing,” Brungardt said.

The new apartment complex that will be built where the Lashkowitz now stands will continue to honor his legacy. The new housing unit will be called the Lashkowitz Riverfront Apartments.

The apartment complex will feature 110 units of affordable housing, Brungardt said. All units will be eligible for vouchers, or Section 8, and occupants of the old building will have the first opportunity to move into the new building if they wish too.

"We're excited for Lashkowitz's redevelopment and what's to come at this location," said McKenzy Braaten, EPIC's vice president of Communications. "We create spaces that serve the community and these developments will all compliment each other well once complete."

In contrast to the tiny units that comprised the original high rise, Brungardt said these new apartments will be quite spacious, with one-, two- and three-bedroom units available. Many will feature two bathrooms.

“It will give more opportunities for larger families to find some nice housing,” Brungardt said.

Residents in the new structure will have access to community rooms, lounges, a rooftop patio, exercise room and free laundry, he said.

Saying good bye to the simple, monolithic affordable apartment blocks of the past, Fargo Housing said it wants to build apartments that anyone would be proud to live in, regardless of income.

Placing the new building in the shadow of the old, close to downtown Fargo and on valuable land near the Red River, is also intentional.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to live next to the river,” Brungardt said.