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 | Nov 3, 2016
Two identical Kohn Pederson Fox office towers may be headed to Wacker Drive
Murphy Development Group is looking for tenants for the $800 million project.
High-rise Construction | Nov 1, 2016
The world’s 100 tallest buildings: Which wind consultants have worked on the most?
The top firm has worked on almost half of the world’s 100 tallest buildings.
High-rise Construction | Nov 1, 2016
LEGOLAND Dubai unveils the Brick Khalifa, the world’s tallest LEGO replica building
The model is on display at the newly opened LEGOLAND Dubai.
High-rise Construction | Nov 1, 2016
Winthrop Square will give rise to Boston’s second tallest building
The building will become the tallest residential tower in the city.
Building Team | Oct 31, 2016
The world’s 100 tallest buildings: Who owns and has developed the most?
All but four owners/developers on the list are located in the United Arab Emirates, China, or Hong Kong.
High-rise Construction | Oct 28, 2016
The world’s 100 tallest buildings: Which contractors have worked on the most?
Only one firm has worked on more than 10 of the world’s 100 tallest buildings.
High-rise Construction | Oct 27, 2016
The world’s 100 tallest buildings: Which MEP engineers have worked on the most?
The top firm worked on over three times as many of the tallest buildings as the second place firm on the list.
High-rise Construction | Oct 26, 2016
The world’s 100 tallest buildings: Which structural engineers have worked on the most?
The top firm has worked on almost one-fifth of the 100 tallest buildings in the world.
High-rise Construction | Oct 25, 2016
That sinking feeling: Millennium Tower San Francisco is beginning to worry residents with its sinking, leaning [Updated]
Residents are beginning to question if the tower, which exists in a major earthquake fault zone, is safe.
High-rise Construction | Oct 21, 2016
The world’s 100 tallest buildings: Which architects have designed the most?
Two firms stand well above the others when it comes to the number of tall buildings they have designed.
