Demolition begins at The Palace of Auburn Hills

Demolition has begun at the Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons for nearly three decades. On Sunday, crews could be seen dismantling the name from the arena.

WXYZ reports that in January 2020, the building itself will start to come down. And according to Crain’s Detroit Business, in March the roof and 21 steel beams will be imploded by Homrich Inc.

The whole demolition process is expected to take six months.

In June this year, a joint partnership between Pistons owner Tom Gores and Michigan-based Schostak Brothers & Company bought the 110-acre site for $22 million. Though plans are still being finalized, the developers are expected to convert the property into a large tech park with some retail.

The 22,076-seat Palace opened in 1988 and was one of the first generation of modern sports arenas, boasting 180 luxury box seats. Unlike Little Caesars Arena, it was completely privately financed for around $90 million.

When former Pistons owner Bill Davidson died in 2009, the franchise and arena was purchased by Gores for $325 million. The team played its last game at the Palace in 2017.