Best Ruins

Intel Shell

Twelve seconds after 7:30am on Feb. 25, car alarms, prompted by the nearby quake, sang in unison and signaled the end of the Intel shell. Twelve seconds was all it took – well, that and about 700 pounds of dynamite – to tear apart this naked structure, this long-neglected but never-forgotten relic of Austin’s tech boom. Once the car alarms stopped, the dust settled, and the birds of Republic Square Park timidly returned to their nests. All that remained were the ruins of those concrete caves. There were no galloping hooves and no hurried footsteps: The king’s horses and men, who typically assemble to address such destruction, were happy to sit this one out.

Intel Rubble
Fifth and San Antonio

J.R. Ramon & Sons Inc.
1325 Frio City Rd., San Antonio, 800/577-8336
www.ramondemolition.com