Demolition of Joe Louis Arena set to begin

Adamo Group will begin the demolition of Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena in the next four to six weeks, the Detroit Free Press reports. Adamo Group, which is headquartered in the city, was awarded a $5.9 million contract for the job.

Joe Louis Arena was built by the city in 1979 for $34 million. The arena served as the home to the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and host to more than 600 concerts and events until its closure on July 30, 2017.

The demolition, which is slated to be completed around the end of the year or the beginning of 2020, will be undertaken with the use of excavators rather than via implosion. The interior of the arena was stripped of much of its materials of value last spring, and hazardous material abatement work is currently being completed on-site.

There have been no announcements as to what will take the arena’s place.