Hotel implosion set to make way for hockey arena

The ex- Park Avenue Hotel was demolished Saturday morning as part of the construction of a new Red Wings hockey arena north of downtown Detroit.

The building has been vacant for many years but was named to the National Register of Historic Places. After stints as a senior housing complex and a rehab center, the building went the way of numerous city’s iconic buildings – abandoned and graffiti splattered.

The $450 million, 20,000-seat arena is expected to open in 2017.

At around 8 a.m. Saturday, before a small crowd of spectators on the street and in nearby residences, the Historic Park Avenue Hotel in the Cass Corridor came tumbling down.

The Park Avenue Hotel in Detroit shortly before its implosion on July 11, 2015.

Officials said 200 pounds of dynamite were being used to bring down the structure, which was built in the 1920s.

The demolition was designed so that the hotel fell slightly to the west, preserving surrounding buildings.