Aug 3 2008 Norfolk, VA
A 15-story grain elevator that helped elevate Norfolk's status among East Coast ports came to an explosive end Sunday at 8:00 Am.

For about 70 years, the Sewell s Point grain elevator connected Atlantic cargo ships with railroad cars carrying grain and corn.

A stoic landmark on the Elizabeth River, it has silently welcomed Navy sailors home from deployments overseas and beckoned cargo ships filled with coal, rubber and consumer goods to Hampton Roads' terminals.

"For a long time before the cranes sort of became the sign of the waterfront, when you came around the bend you'd look for the grain elevator," said Joe Harris, a spokesman for the Virginia Port Authority.