First came a series of booms.

Within a minute of the last of about 1,200 muffled demolition explosions, chunks of concrete and rusted rebar rained down behind security fencing and debris shields Sunday morning.

Obscured briefly by a white dust cloud, the decaying Berkman Plaza II condominium tower that has scarred the Northbank of downtown Jacksonville's riverfront and skyline for nearly 15 years collapsed in place and was no more.

Cheers and applause rang out from hundreds of onlookers as the implosion — delayed four times and considered nearly 15 years overdue by city leaders and residents — went off without a hitch at 10 a.m. Sunday.

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As the veil of dust cleared at 10:01 a.m. all that remained of the hulking skeletal shell of the Berkman II was a mound of debris at 500 Bay St., across from Jacksonville Sheriff's Office headquarters.

No injuries and no damage to neighboring buildings were reported, Nikki Kimbleton, city director of communication/public affairs, told the Times-Union.

Pece of Mind Environmental of Orlando, a global demolition company, conducted the implosion. 

Mayor Lenny Curry along with City Councilman Reggie Gaffney and about 75 residents of the adjacent The Plaza Condominiums at Berkman Plaza and Marina — commonly known as Berkman Plaza I —  plus curious out-of-towners watched from a safety area outside of the implosion zone.

Imploding the Berkman Plaza II " was a much-needed step in the transformation of our downtown," Curry told the crowd.

"I remain committed to shaping Jacksonville's skyline and the removal of this building will free up vital resources and capacity to offer new opportunities in our downtown," Curry said. 

Nate Monroe:Berkman II's long shadow haunts downtown

The skeletal, half-finished Berkman II tower has been fraught with problems over the years.

On Dec. 6, 2007, construction stopped on the tower after the adjoining six-story parking structure collapsed.

Willie Edwards III, a 26-year-old father of two children, was killed and 23 other workers were injured.

"What was supposed to be a beautiful, cutting edge addition to our downtown real estate quickly turned into a nightmare, and continued to sit, plaguing Jacksonville for more than 14 years," Curry said.

The implosion honors Edwards and offers some closure to his family, said Gaffney, who has advocated passionately for the demolition.

"I'm more relieved for the Edwards family," said Gaffney, noting Edwards family members would regularly call him asking when the building would be taken down.

"To me, this does two things. It brings closure for the city of Jacksonville and also it brings healing for a family that had to live through this every time they came on Bay Street over almost 15 years," Gaffney said.

Gaffney also said he was relieved "because now I hope the community will see growth."

Curry had pushed for Sunday's implosion after demolition efforts dragged on for months due to multiple delays. He had requested emergency funding for the demolition, saying there was an urgent public safety need to take down the increasingly unstable building.

PB Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization bought the two-acre property on the Northbank of the St. Johns River for $5.5 million in a sale recorded April 21 last year, Duval County property and court records show.

The organization had assured the city that it would demolish the half-built building. But PB Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization's efforts to demolish the Berkman II failed repeatedly due to circumstances it said were beyond its control.   

Past Delays:Implosion of downtown Jacksonville eyesore Berkman Plaza II tower postponed for 4th time

More:Jacksonville ready to pay $1.2 million to finally take down Berkman II eyesore in downtown

Park Beeler, the group's managing member, previously told the Times-Union that the group would transform the site into a $135 million mixed-use residential, retail and hotel development including a grocery and possibly a pharmacy. 

However, Beeler last week told the Jacksonville Daily Record that the organization plans a 40-story residential mixed-use tower. If that happens, the building would be the second-tallest in Jacksonville — behind the Bank of America Tower (42 floors) and ahead of the Wells Fargo Center (37 floors).

Over the years, multiple uses for the Berkman II site have been proposed, including at least one that would finish the existing structure. Last spring, work began to demolish the 18-story steel structure, but that was halted in July due to safety concerns.

PB Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization officials watched the implosion most likely with relief Sunday as the building finally came down clearing the way for their vision of the future of the downtown riverfront.

Jacksonville City Council in January approved Curry's $1.2 million emergency funding request to take down the building, which structural engineers deemed unstable.

The city can seek to recover whatever it spends on the demolition by placing a lien on the property, and if that doesn't result in recovering the money, the city could move to file for foreclosure.

City to pay for implosion:Jacksonville ready to pay $1.2 million to finally take down Berkman II eyesore in downtown

Nate Monroe:The life and death of Berkman 2, Jacksonville's cursed waterfront tower

Over the years, multiple uses for the site have been proposed, including at least one that would finish the existing structure. Last spring, work began to demolish the 18-story steel structure, but that was halted in July due to safety concerns.

Sunday, residents of the adjacent The Plaza Condominiums at Berkman Plaza and Marina celebrated the implosion of the next-door eyesore.

Some brought Mimosas and breakfast snacks as they watched from lawn chairs or picnic blankets.

Dean and Margaret Nix along with their dog, Murphy, were among The Plaza residents who had been urged to evacuate as a safety precaution during the implosion because their condo was among those closest to the Berkman Plaza II.

"My balcony is like 100 feet from the other side of the Berkman II, said Nix, noting the couple had bought their condo in November.

Nix said the demolition team had placed "dust busters' and other safety equipment at the foot of the building as a precaution to protect the neighboring building.

From his condo, Nix said he could see the demolition team working to place the charges in the vacant building next door. The charges arrived under a police escort Tuesday night and were put into place Wednesday, he said.

Nix said their building had its own engineers on site Sunday to check for any potential problems related to the nearby implosion.

"I'm excited. It's great that it's being taken down. It's been a long time coming for the people who've lived here longer than we have," Nix said.