A London landmark, albeit a temporary one, is coming down. The dismantling of what's believed to be the world's only big pink crane in front of St. Joseph's Hospital started on Tuesday.
Located at the corner of Richmond and Grosvenor streets, the crane was a show of support for the hospital's role in breast care.
Ryan Simmons, a construction manager with Ellis Don, explains the process for taking down the 220 foot crane.
"We bring in a mobile crane and that crane will actually start by taking down the rigging so all the cables come down first. Then the mobile crane will take down chunks of the boom and lay them directly on a flatbed truck."
The one-of-a kind crane arrived in London in March 2013 for construction of the superstructure of the 65,000 square foot addition to St. Joseph's Hospital.
Dr. Gillian Kernaghan, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care says "When we look at the crane coming down it means that we don't need it any more. It means the basic framework is there and we're on time and on budget."
So while it is good news to see it coming down, the crane has become something of an icon.
It has been written up in construction publications and its vivid pink colour has been beacon for breast cancer survivors.
Dismantling the crane was expected to take about 12 hours to complete.
"This crane has been special to everyone, but as far as its assembly and dismantle the crane it's been business as usual," Simmons says.
The new wing of the hospital is expected to be completed by spring 2015.
