A controlled implosion of Vanderbilt University’s Carmichael Towers East will take place on Saturday, July 31, to make way for a new world-class residential college on campus. The implosion is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
To keep residents and pedestrians safe, certain roads and sidewalks will be closed by 8 a.m. July 31 until an all-clear for West End Avenue traffic is announced, which should occur no later than noon. For safety reason, there will be no designated public viewing areas for this event.
The following streets and sidewalks will be closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic:
- West End Avenue between 23rd Avenue North and 25th Avenue North
- 24th Avenue North between West End Avenue and Elliston Place
- 25th Avenue South between West End Avenue and Jess Neely Drive
Nashville and Vanderbilt University police will be on hand to direct traffic flow and enforce the perimeter. The following temporary traffic patterns have been designated for the day of the implosion:
- Traffic traveling eastbound on West End Avenue will be directed to 25th Avenue North to Elliston Place, then east to 23rd Avenue North to West End Avenue.
- Traffic traveling westbound on West End Avenue will be directed to 23rd Avenue North to Elliston Place, then west to 25th Avenue North to West End Avenue.
- Traffic on 25th Avenue South will be directed to Jess Neely Drive, then to Natchez Trace to West End Avenue, or to Highland Avenue to 24th Avenue South to Blakemore Avenue.
Residential colleges experience
This implosion continues the transformation of Vanderbilt’s West End Neighborhood and the expansion of the university’s residential colleges experience. Residential College C, which is scheduled to open in fall 2024, will be the fourth residential college along West End Avenue. E. Bronson Ingram College opened in 2018, Nicholas S. Zeppos College opened in fall 2020, and Rothschild College will open in fall 2022.
The 14-story Carmichael Towers East saw its last residents at the end of the spring 2021 semester. The Carmichael Towers West towers were demolished in July 2019.
For more information about construction in the West End Neighborhood, visit the FutureVU website.