This huge plume of smoke is where the old Claiborne Towers used to be. The building known as the Pallas Hotel was one of the last buildings remaining in the downtown area. It has changed hands several times since it's 1950 opening but has sat abandoned as a hotel for many years.
The demolition took place early Sunday morning to make way for the new University Medical Center, a hospital being built to replace the old Charity Hospital, which was closed after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 and flooded the hospital's basement.
