Remember When This Famous Hotel Imploded in Tyler?

It happened in 1985. The Hotel Blackstone in Downtown Tyler was one of the iconic landmarks of Tyler, Texas - initially constructed on November 29, 1922, according to Tyler Texas Online. Then it went through a few renovation phases before the life of the downtown building was put to a dramatic end.

Per Texasescapes.com:

The 5-story Hotel Blackstone was constructed at a cost of $500,000, and opened in downtown Tyler at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Locust Street on November 29, 1922.
A 9-story tower was added in later years, providing an additional 64 rooms.
In 1939, the 6-story Blackstone Office Building was constructed to the north of the hotel. The office is still in use today.
In the 1950s, the hotel was renovated and enlarged again, adding 30 rooms and a parking garage.
The hotel was closed on December 31, 1975, and imploded in October of 1985.

While I haven't found a specific trail that leads to why the building was destroyed, many Tylerites have voiced online it was to save tax money and make room for a parking lot. I hope that isn't true...

There's the story of the Blackstone Hotel where oil executives rented rooms and people lined up for job interviews to work in the oilfield during the Great Depression. Then there was its destruction in 1985 to save tax money and make room for a parking lot. - Metro Matt via reddit.

The estimated height of the building was 112.25 feet with nine floors.

The Blackstone Office Building is still used to this day and has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 2002.

Currently, the Tyler Chamber of Commerce fittingly works in this historic building.