Crews from Stamford Wrecking Co. used an excavator to topple Building C, the last of three nine-story apartment buildings that had been home to countless families since 1967. The work to demolish the former 124-unit apartment complex for low-income families started on Feb. 9 and is expected to last several more weeks. The entire Crystal Avenue site is now covered in debris, a mix of concrete and metal. Once it’s cleared, the city intends to find a tax-paying entity and a use better suited to the commercial industrial zone. Mayor Michael Passero called the construction of the complex an example of failed government policy during an era of urban renewal. The idea of demolishing the high rises was first talked about by city officials in the 1990s. A request for proposals for the property was issued in 2001, and in 2002 tenants at Thames River Apartment petitioned the city to raze the complex. One idea at the time was to pursue funding from HUD to build a series of single family homes at Bates Woods Park.
https://www.theday.com/local-news/20220404/third-high-rise-comes-down-on-crystal-avenue-in-new-london