In the summer of last year, we covered Digital Realty’s purchase of an 805,000 sq ft Chicago site, once home to Motorola’s television assembly plant. Now, things have progressed further.

The 63-year old building is set to be partially demolished this week, with the village of Franklin Park holding a ceremonial demolition on Wednesday.

Not actually hammer time

Franklin Park demolition
– Lori Clark

“If people came here to see an explosion, they’re going to be thoroughly disappointed,” Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pedersen said at the event, CBS reports.

Indeed, after the Village of Franklin Park sent out Facebook invites for a ‘Demolition Day’ promising ‘demolition participation,’ there were those that expected more.

“Soooooo. I thought it was getting blown up,” resident Amanda Brown said on Facebook. Others were easier to please: ” I got to talk to the mayor (sooooo cool!) and I even got a sledge hammer out of the deal! How awesome is that!,” Paul Krieter said.

Most of the building will be recycled for the 500,000 square foot $300 million data center, which will be built in phases over the next two to five years.

Once serving as Motorola headquarters and television factory, the site was abandoned when the US company moved to Schaumburg in 1976. Imperial Realty bought the place for $3 million in 1998, ahead of its eventual sale to Digital Realty.