For more than 4,400 squatters in Caracas, Venezuela, the time has come to move on. An unfinished skyscraper that has stood in the city for over a decade has become home to not only people, but shops, basketball courts and prayer meetings.
Authorities have decided to move the squatters out, allegedly to investigate the structural soundness of the tower, which is the country's third-tallest skyscraper, the Miami Herald reports.
The tower, called Torre David, is 45 stories of incomplete concrete, glass and steel. Construction began on the building in 1990, but screeched to a halt when financial crisis struck Venezuela in 1994. The building was about 60 percent complete at the time, and construction never resumed.
Over time, it became a vertical city for squatters. The community really kicked off in 2007, when an evangelical minister led the occupation of the building.
There are rumors that the tower is being cleared because Chinese developers bought the site, but the government says they are unfounded.
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | Jan 4, 2016
Top high-rise innovations of 2015
A crowdfunded skyscraper in Colombia and Jerusalem’s wild, pyramid-shaped tower are among the landmark projects featured in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s annual yearend review.
High-rise Construction | Jan 4, 2016
Top tall building predictions for 2016
Jetpack-based firefighting, pixelated towers, and high-rise rentals are among the innovations and themes coming to the tall buildings market in 2016, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
High-rise Construction | Jan 4, 2016
Amid high-rise office building boom, Boston grapples with corporate signage rules
City has few skyscrapers adorned with lit company names, logos.
High-rise Construction | Dec 18, 2015
Architect Mark Foster Gage proposes wildly ornate Gothic skyscraper for NYC
The 102-story tower, 41 West 57th Street, will have glass walls, balconies, and a carved stone façade.
High-rise Construction | Dec 8, 2015
Architect Eric Parry unveils design for London’s tallest building
At more than 1,000 feet, 1 Undershaft will rival The Shard in height.
High-rise Construction | Dec 8, 2015
Saudi Arabia secures funding for world’s first kilometer-tall skyscraper: Jeddah Tower
The tower will overtake the Burj Khalifa in terms of height, but how long will it remain king?
High-rise Construction | Nov 28, 2015
Anorexic skyscrapers keep popping up in Manhattan
One project slated to begin construction next spring is designed to be only 47 feet wide.
High-rise Construction | Nov 23, 2015
London approves designs for a 62-story tower
Scheduled to start construction next year and open in 2019, the structure will be London’s second tallest, after the 95-story Shard.
High-rise Construction | Nov 17, 2015
CTBUH awards '2015 Best Tall Building Worldwide' to Bosco Verticale
Designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, the building design was applauded for its “extraordinary implementation of vegetation at such scale and height."
High-rise Construction | Nov 12, 2015
SHoP unveils Brooklyn supertall tower design
When completed, the 90-story tower will be the tallest building in the outer boroughs of New York City.
