Demolishing a Huge Bank with a Caterpillar Excavator

/ homewreckerbrian
I have so many short videos and awesome photos to post, it's crazy!
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Sorry for the wait, but we're back at it again with another bank! 🏦
For anyone wondering, the machine in this video is a Caterpillar 323 excavator.
Remember to leave lots of questions and comments everybody!!
I have a bunch more awesome demolition videos coming up soon, so make sure you're subscribed and have post notifications turned on so you don't miss anything.
Thanks so much to everyone who's been following along. I really appreciate it!

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Follow me on Instagram, where I'm sharing even more of my awesome demo content. Check the video description for the link.

[@goutvols103]

Were you able to take anything away from the building before demolishing?

[@MP-ph6ob]

@@goutvols103 He saved an LED light fixture

[@caveweta]

This demo video is a metaphor for life really, nothings permanent. Buildings come and go, some last 50 years, some 500 years. Imagine how hard it was to build this, all the resources it took, all the specialist trades that made this building. And in 50 years time it was torn down and gone in a day….. nothings permanent.

[@PeteyPablo2770]

damn bro that's deep

[@bandysxxx]

I can’t believe not a single person wanted anything from this place

[@SteveB88]

There’s probably a good chance that the guys who built this place are not around anymore

[@wavydavy9816]

I live in the UK and just down the road from me is an abbey which was founded in 676 and completed in 1160 and is still in use today 👍

[@apersunthathasaridiculousl1890]

That’d what i’m saying! This is crazy

[@Dave_9547]

It always saddens me to see really nice lumber, like in those exposed trusses smashed to kindling.

[@EvilDeadFan11]

I had the same thought. It was a nicely crafted building for its time.

[@trevorbigelow1518]

I think this is Spokane right?

[@dylantrerise3844]

I agree but sadly even though the price of lumber isn’t cheap it is in the modern world easily accessible and going through to make sure you save all the wood would be too expensive and time consuming and our buildings aren’t old enough like Europe to care to conserve stuff consume consume consume

[@Torqu3d]

Yeah, so much could be repurposed if it was torn down piece by piece, time consuming, yes.

[@sketchpalosotherchannel]

Yeah, I noticed the trestle in the atrium was all solid timber. Pitty.

[@ghoulardi8875]

The initial view of the building makes it look like a big concrete monolith! It's weird when the Cat started busting through that gray wood.

[@sethtriggs]

Shame it couldn't be reused, I thought the geometric design was actually pretty interesting. Always neat to see the number of wooden commercial buildings. And it definitely screams 1970s! The trusses were really cool.

[@Thisoldhiker]

The US probably has about twice the retail and office space as it needs. In any case, such buildings are only designed for a 30-40 year lifespan.

[@cknorris3644]

They build em cheap and then when things start falling apart the repairs exceed the value. Everything's disposable now.

[@gordbaker896]

Lots of Stainless Steel. Jail door would be great to keep. Many uses. Bar tables. etc PVC white pipe, Shelves. Gold mine. Very well built. Lots of WASTE.

[@UncleChud]

Dust

[@BennedictMathurin149]

Cry

[@HobbyOrganist]

That in vault picket door would be useable, in fact I made two similar doors for my house using reproduction Victorian gothic fence pickets welded together to make 2 gate doors inside, a gate door outside, and a headboard and foot board for my bed. I have several St Bernards so the 2 cast iron gate doors keep them in or out of certain rooms very effectively and they match the decor. There's no commercially made "pet gate" that will hold up against a 150 pound dog jumping on it LOL!

[@fluke9972]

yeah i dont understand why demolishing still goes like this nowadays. you would think with all the recycing and enviromental activities we would be using better methods to deconstruct buildings

[@billyrueckert5113]

I'm surprised it wasn't reused. Seems like a solid structure.

[@BennedictMathurin149]

Cry

[@warpedbeyondhelp]

No effort to salvage any of the metal or expensive wood trim?

[@switchdeck9164]

​@@warpedbeyondhelpWhat is a bank or demo company going to do with random wood trim?

[@TrainTruck]

Was thinking the same thing, specially how well it was kept in cleanest condition too. Would of been a nice place for another bank to have it, as that place just must of not that long ago closed down.

[@user-bd5md5cm2j]

Banks have nothing but money. Look at the largest buildings in any state. Million dollar building scrapped. What does that tell you...

[@shisholy7828]

Looks like a lot of useful resources going to waist 😳🤯

[@coryhoover01]

I agree a lot of that metal inside can be recycled

[@shannonmariehauck]

@@coryhoover01or donated to Goodwill or something. Filing cabinets, desks, chairs, bathroom fixtures, etc.

[@Coalrollinfurry]

Na.. rather hear that 3406 machinery application purr.

[@RcFlashlight]

@@Coalrollinfurry Can't tell if you're joking.. that's no 3406 in that there machine bud.

[@DaveFromVh1]

He doesn’t care..😢

[@pawpatrolnews]

He does a fantastic job of rebuilding the bank if you watch the video in reverse!

[@coryhoover01]

Those teller counter could make some nice bars in homes or businesses

[@wendymorrison5803]

I was looking at the long seat in the front foyer. That has mid century goodness.

[@kc0eks]

Sure was a nicely built structure. Modern boxes are so boring.

[@bergmancarlericeman2008]

This is an absolute goldmine for anyone who loves to see things getting demolished.

[@mystisith3984]

A few things & pieces of furniture that could sell for a few bucks... Thanks for sharing.

[@UEdiver]

@HomeWreckerBrian The best part about your videos is the walk through at the beginning. You do not see that too much and it's always cool to see the inside before it get's demolished! Thanks as always for sharing!!

[@djemcee]

Amazing how either powerful that machine is or how brittle construction really was.

[@SinisterScoundrel6562]

Love the internal views of ceiling lights collapsing.

[@harleyshihtzu5558]

You have the best job in the world. I could do this all day long.

[@kc0eks]

That inside view during demo is very neat and also sad.

[@jimschultz8048]

You're right cuz there's a lot of going to waste there's a lot of good scrap metal in there lot of copper lot of stainless steel a lot of number one Steel😊

[@resurrectiongarage1506]

It is very hard to imagine that tearing down such a building considering demo costs, construction costs could ever be cost effective

[@Renville80]

The college I attended had two 1950s dorms (freshmen men's and the women's). Even though I ended up dropping out early on, I still make it a point to visit the campus whenever I am in that town. One year, I saw the two dorms had been shelled out in preparation for demo, and learned it would have cost more to renovate and update both dorms than it did to just knock it all down and build new!

[@latamorewilliams6443]

Wished you had habitat for humanity come by and do a clean out, before demolition. It was some nice furniture and etc that could have been saved😞🌄…

[@Alex-gf7oe]

This guy does demolition to make a living he doesn’t have time to wait for hoarders to nit pick through the building

[@jeffcicale]

The vault is always the most impressive. Makes one want to load it up with dynamite, secure the area and enjoy the blast! Really appreciate the walkthrough before starting the demo work

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Hey, everyone! Leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite part was! Also, If you like watching banks get demolished, make sure to check out my channel. Last summer, we did a really cool one, so go take a look!

[@daviddonahue1862]

Good operating!

[@ConstructionMachineryChannel]

I espceially enjoy when you go inside for a final tour before demolishing it.

[@playtimeisdone8490]

Excellent video, Brian! I think this vault door might be more spectacular than the last one…and it was pretty awesome, itself!

[@dodge33445]

I really LOVE the basement in this thing... I wish I could turn this into a house and live there.. The basement would be like another level.. But set it up like a huge safe room.

[@FlintLetsPLays]

I Germany you would have to remove everything inside first. So all Cables, Glass, Isolation, everything has the be removed before you are allowed to take the building down

[@Schraggi]

No, but a skilled worker is able to pull these things out of the building with his excavator. It's up to the company if they remove Glas or any metals first, or wait until the demolition to pull the cables out of the broken walls. Manual work just takes too long for the things you mentioned. Only dangerous materials like asbestos or gas tanks have to be removed first. It's always the question if it's cheaper to sort the rubble or to take everything out by hand before, which isn't even always possible.

[@Coalrollinfurry]

Thats not true at all.. citation plz.. Ich war zuvor in zahlreichen Staaten angestellt..

[@user-lh1dg4hi5i]

Me too

[@mikebreidenbach9549]

Can’t believe you couldn’t find buyer to tale safe deposit boxes?

[@Opinionatedguy1989]

Are you sure there is no asbestos in the building being that it was built in the 70s?

[@Thisoldhiker]

I suspect it was built right around 1980.

[@Opinionatedguy1989]

@@Thisoldhiker I know that it became illegal to build with asbestos in Canada in 1990. When did it become illegal to build with asbestos in the US?

[@BusterNoggins]

This is why we can't have nice things, always breaking stuff.

[@Thujaplicata1]

Thanks so much for sharing another project with us! That's quite the building! I'm very interested to see how you handle getting the rest down with the basement below, and possibly having to separate the block from all the wood. Also.. I REALLY hope you made a part on how the vault was demolished. The last one was awesome! Subscribed a long time ago, but eagerly awaiting part 2. Best demolition channel on KZbin by far, and I've been watching demolition videos since the days when you could literally watch all of them there were so few! Best wishes, Dan.

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

I love sharing these videos with you guys, and I really appreciate comments like yours. Thank you. The Vault demo is coming up very soon. We did it a little differently this time. It should make for an awesome video.

[@koriko88]

12:20 - You’re working at your boring bank job when suddenly…the Caterpillar Kool Aid Man bursts in one side and starts destroying the place!

[@davidcolwell614]

In the town near me a man with a bulldozer from a construction site that fired him tore down a credit business, and a used car lot one night and turned over several vehicles at the football stadium that they were building. He parked the dozer and walked to the police station and told the dispatcher what he had done that night. She had received no calls even though he had driven across town.😊

[@skeetrix5577]

​@@davidcolwell614that's fuckin wild

[@RcFlashlight]

Goes to show how powerful these excavators are. I work on these things for a living, and that 323 really did put up a fight. Would love to see something like a 340 or bigger do something like this.

[@caden01691]

Man I would've taken all those commercial doors 😂

[@aldahna]

WOW, So many re-usable materials in this bank! Such great looking architecture in all! I Would have found so many uses for much of the materials! Am sure your on a crunched time table for this demolition! it's fin to see! much ease than I have had to deal with in the past!

[@chuckh.2227]

Those bank walls look like there made of paper

[@DanburyDK]

I wish I could collect some of those keys. As a kid I’ve always saved old keys I’d find in places my dad had to demo.

[@jeffcicale]

2nd comment: that interior camera setup is top notch content!!!

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Thanks, man! I'm glad you liked it.

[@johnkeviljr9625]

I’m surprised that the heavy wood wasn’t salvaged. I’m also surprised that there isn’t a market for the stainless steel vault door and safe deposit boxes. Very curious.

[@DemolitionManMike]

Good work. I liked the interior cam view. I will try that on my demolitions on my channel as well. 👍👍

[@mackhopper]

What an interesting building. Deceptively large, eh???

[@jamieostrowski4447]

That was an awesome mid-century couch in there! I can't believe they didn't save that!

[@aguywiththreefirstnames1850]

my favorite part of this demo was the dust control

[@dodge33445]

Thanks for doing the walk throughs !!

[@leviwhite9]

First vid of yours I've knowingly seen, and the first bit of bashing through the overhang and hunting for and stacking of I-beams was very relaxing. Also telling of a skilled operator. Instant subscribe and will be soon watching more!

[@pauloconnor2980]

@10:17- when you saved that LED light fixture, I knew we had something in common!!!!!

[@supernova4760]

Everybody hands up! This is a robbery! I mean, wait ... this is a demolition!

[@skinmaxdestroyer]

Great demolition !

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it.

[@garandx]

Oh its a wells fargo. Good work.

[@h2ouxb]

I'm shocked at the waste. 😳

[@craigwilliams501]

Huge facade, tiny bank - gotta love late 20th century corporate architecture

[@mariobranch74]

I was a little stressed. This did wonders for my spirits while watching.

[@carlfalt174]

That's what you call breaking the bank

[@bravomike09]

It's a shame that all that good material and items go to waste. Much of it can be reused, but I guess it's just not cost effective and it would take some effort to find someone who would want it. Especially the items specific to banks. Those things looked really good, but probably dated. One wonders if a salvage business could make a profit recovering as much material as possible before destruction.

[@Why24244]

A drive through at a bank in the UK we definitely don't have those. I also find it interesting to see it built mainly out of wood UK materials for a bank are usually reinforced concrete and brick.

[@coryhoover01]

The boxes in the safe deposit boxes you could sell along with the vault door and that gate. eBay or marketplace

[@ghoulardi8875]

Thanks for the occasional commentary, it's really interesting! I've watched similar videos and often had questions about the demolition strategy. Like, the whole process often seemed to take much longer than I might have expected. I guess there must be many considerations ... save some materials, sort metal and wood separately, keep nearby buildings safe, try to avoid making dust, smash stuff up well enough for the dump trucks to transport later, avoid overstressing the excavator ... what else??

[@johngalt1967]

That has to be the most stress free guy on earth!!!!

[@margemiller5503]

Watching this was like watching a Ray Harryhousen stop animation movie. Pretty cool. I would of taken that neat gate in the vault. Wells Fargo, couldn't of happened to a better bank. Damn crooks.

[@HelloKittyFanMan]

Oh wow, I've always wanted to see what it looks like from the inside as the bucket bashes through! Now I know, and it's kind of spooky! Thanks for setting that up.

[@Its_crazyadamla]

The bank was built with cardboard boxes 😮

[@mrdino6391]

Am i the only one that's curious to see what it would be like to be in a building as it slowly gets demolished

[@Dr4g0nW00d]

And now you know how to rob a bank with an excavator

[@iseespots6014]

Love it, can't wait till part 2 comes out!!!

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

It's coming soon!

[@playtimeisdone8490]

ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO, but with previews this time!!! Hey Brian - are you sure there wasn’t a mummy buried in the basement of this modified pyramid??? Holy Cow, save that kick-ass leather lounger they left in the bank lobby. Damn, I’m surprised that no one claimed that piece.

[@pgerry9400]

With a basement , break the initial pieces smaller to fill the space, nice spot to work on this bank no nearby buildings which makes it a whole lot different as you don't want pieces falling on adjacent buildings. I loved dong demo.

[@JensSchraeder]

That has got to be the most satisfying job ever!

[@tomjohnson7508]

It is just amazing all that reusable building material is being destroyed. The world will be run😢out of trees for building materials before we know it

[@gordbaker896]

Most new construction does not allow used building materials made of wood.

[@tomjohnson7508]

@@gordbaker896 thanks for the reply I would hope that soon those considerations will change

[@thesnottynosekid9985]

Wood is a renewable resource, if they need more trees they'll grow more trees.

[@tomjohnson7508]

@@thesnottynosekid9985 The time is coming where all large trees for lumber will be gone and the so-called renewable tooth picks will be gone also due to the fact that smaller trees make less board feet per tree

[@emerald5567]

it's called renewable for a reason

[@hunglikefish]

Here the demo permit requires recyclable material be salvaged, sorted and the least amount of material possible be sent to landfill.

[@coolsnake1134]

Dust control on this one was definitely a good idea, I saw the yellow insulation and as an electrician who spends a decent amount of time in attics I can tell you that stuff is the worst

[@judyArsh]

It’s so tragic that so many cool items don’t get recycled. That jail door. Even the office furniture. Hell put it on the lawn as free to anyone who wants it if you can’t be bothered selling it.

[@shannonmariehauck]

Tell Goodwill to come by with a truck and take what they want before demolition.

[@Calamity_Jack]

Maybe even just open it up to the public for a day prior to demolition, saying, take whatever you want that's portable. Seems a shame that all those solid wood doors, cabinets, furniture, etc. will just end up in a landfill.

[@tillross4078]

Did you do any salvage ? Plenty of scrap that's for sure

[@jdm9042]

Just found the channel I didn't know I needed in my life!

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Thanks, man! I'm glad you like it.

[@SP4CEBAR]

this is what I call an "armed" robbery

[@RobertLake-mf2qt]

Somebody broke into the bank!

[@ARoyalLyon]

As someone living on a modest self built off-grid desert homestead, I weep to see all those building materials getting destroyed!

[@Lunar_Capital]

Just a curious question, did you have to remove the fluorescent tubes out of every light fixture in there?

[@zynifi]

Probaly not, why?

[@brian5o]

@@zynifi I'm thinking he was asking because the all contain a bit of Mercury which is very toxic and difficult to clean up. It can seep into groundwater and then into sea life.

[@gordbaker896]

What would YOU do with them?@@brian5o

[@Lunar_Capital]

@@brian5o Yeah exactly that. Unless there is a law that they MUST remove the tubes before the job, they probably won't otherwise.

[@Jannik_Stein]

I watched many of your videos, but I enjoyed this one so much, that I wanted to thank you for it.

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Wow, thank you!

[@robaustin3258]

This is the biggest bank I've ever seen.

[@Grisu.]

great deconstruction, the comments make me want to drink draino but other than that good job.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

"Got the bank demolished boss! They weren't happy about it but I saved the money this time. The media are pretty excited about the new prison they will build on this spot too!"

[@kennixox262]

Can't remember the last time I was ever in a bank branch. 20 years maybe. Vaults are always a fright and hated going to my deposit box. As much as everyone talks about it, reusing and recycling really does not exist and no one really gives a hoot about the environment. So off to the landfill with all that. Bank buildings are difficult at best to remodel into something else. We will be seeing far fewer banks branches in the future as most people bank online. The buildings are fairly useless now and remember at least in Florida growing up, a bank on every corner.

[@user-qz9yy5id2b]

Fast and stealthy heist

[@Glitch-nr9ct]

STOP, STOP, STOP! Hold up real quick, I want that bench in the lobby. That's the shit I'd be saying every 5 minutes if I were there.

[@coolsnake1134]

Whoever built the vault in this bank definitely had confidence in its resistance to force entry if they thought the need to install a fan and a feeding tube slot in the door frame. Basically meaning if someone got trapped in there and the door could not be unlocked by normal means they would be in there for a decent amount of time before a locksmith could get it open. Probably built by moleser safe, after all they've made vaults that were proven to survive a nuclear bomb.

[@mhr5586]

So much could have been salvaged prior to demo. I guess I’ll never understand.

[@ViliamJakubek]

Who needs lights in there when you can break down the wall? 🤣

[@jamescraig3137]

Bro you could of made it a mickdonos

[@robot_spider]

A steel/iron gate door, attached to the frame with wood screws... It's all about the illusion of security, isn't it?

[@antidiz]

Good way to relieve stress.. LOL

[@frankish5314]

Oh man I would ave love to have had those steel columns!

[@mrgeekdgi4]

Yes, that was the Wells Fargo building, I use to live in the apt building just to the left, the white ones.

[@Hellsatanx]

THE BANK HAS A DRIVE-THROUGH?!?!?

[@Pine_Soul]

That's the biggest bank I've ever seen....the basement....massive. Could make it a school.

[@mussim2919]

Love the channel!

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Glad to hear it!

[@henrylitjes5695]

Sorry dude but get all steel iron out of the building that’s a lot of money in it if you only salvage correctly.

[@trappy69420]

Literally though-

[@skylar4335]

Well at least the light got saved😂

[@txviking]

You seem to be doing much more commercial demo lately.

[@user-nj2sm6ny6n]

the bank building is made of wood, very reliable protection

[@reamsel]

bank drive thru is the most american thing ever

[@MelodysticMusic]

This is so cool dude! 🤘💈 -Chris Your Barber 😉

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Haha, thanks bro! I'm glad you liked it!

[@anthonyfeeney1210]

Have a Beer on Anthony 🍻

[@HomeWreckerBrian]

Haha! Alright, alright. You talked me into it.

[@Thebrad0US]

I'm guessing they are putting another god forsaken condo in there

[@djemcee]

Surprised they didn’t use it for fire training or police training.