Wilshire Grand Breaks Record For Largest Concrete Pour
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Developers made history Sunday at the site of the former Wilshire Grand hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Adjudicator for the Guinness Book of World Records Michael Empric announced just after 11:30 a.m. that workers had broken the world record for the longest continuous pour.
Raw Audio: Michael Empric Makes Announcement
"The Wilshire Grand has a largest pour of 21,200 cubic yard, which is a new Guinness World Records title," Empric said.
The Associated Press reports that the concrete pour of 82 million pounds of concrete lasted over 18 hours. The concrete was poured into a massive pit in order to build the foundation for the much-anticipated, 73-story tower.
"It's a symbol of a Los Angeles that's coming back," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Saturday. "It's putting the recession in the rear-view mirror, creating jobs."
Along with breaking the world record, planners had also expected to save funds due to the consecutive pouring as opposed to taking breaks in between.
The $1 billion project includes office space, restaurants, retail, and 900 hotel rooms.
The hotel is scheduled to open in 2017.
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