BATON ROUGE — This week in WBRZ history, the downtown Baton Rouge skyline drastically changed when multiple buildings were imploded. 

On Dec. 13, 2003, the old Department of Insurance building that once stood right next to the State Capitol came down. Two weeks earlier, the old education and natural resources buildings were imploded. 

Thousands poured into downtown Baton Rouge to see the buildings collapse. 

"The crowd was unbelievable. We got here about 7:30, and there really wasn't anybody here. And by the time it got ready to blow, it was exactly like a Tiger game," one spectator told WBRZ at the time. 

The plan to implode the buildings started months earlier, but crews ran into several problems, including weather delays and one building catching fire. 

In their place, two new highrises — the Bienville and Iberville buildings — were built, but not without their own problems. 

A high-rise crane collapsed after bumping into another building.

But in 2006, the finishing touches were put on the buildings that forever altered the downtown skyline.

Watch more WBRZ history here: