A portion of the once-mighty Belknap Hardware complex crumbled in a giant plume of smoke in October 1993 — a spectacular event that drew several Hollywood actors and an MTV film crew to Louisville.
The demolition of two warehouses between Witherspoon and Washington streets took a “dramatic seven seconds,” The Courier Journal reported. Footage of flames bursting out of windows and explosions ripping through structural supports aired during an hour-long TV special promoting the film “Demolition Man,” which debuted in theaters days after the spectacle in Louisville.
The stars of “Demolition Man” — Sylvester Stallone, Sandra Bullock and Wesley Snipes — appeared on MTV’s “Demolition Man Jam.” Louisville-based Humana, which renovated some of the former hardware facilities for new office spaces in the 1990s, originally planned to raze the two warehouses quietly on a Sunday morning, but the coincidental release of “Demolition Man” spurred film studio Warner Bros. to negotiate a media event with the health insurance company.
About 50 people were invited to MTV’s party downtown, while others found themselves watching the theatrics from boats on the Ohio River, along River Road and across the river in southern Indiana. Billowing smoke exited north from Louisville’s skyline, causing some boaters to scatter.
Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter