Farewell to Miami Arena; demolished

MIAMI (WSVN) -- The Miami Arena's existence ended with one spectacular show early Sunday morning.

After months of preparation, the demolition of the arena all came down to a series of explosions, which tore the building's roof down in a matter of seconds.

"It's history. The opening and the closing. It's sort of history," a former arena employee said.

Officials in charge of the demolition said it went exactly as planned. "It went great, just as we planned. All we wanted was the roof to fall down. It's down," Steve Greenberg said.

Spectators gathered on the streets and others looked on from their balconies for the final goodbye of what was once a landmark in Miami's community.

Many reminisced about the former home of the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers and Miami Hurricanes. "It's sad to see something that was so important to the community be torn down. We don't keep anything around for very long anymore," one spectator said.

The 14,000 seat arena opened its doors in 1988 at a cost of $52 million to the City of Miami.

Through the years, it has hosted hundreds of games, concerts and other events. That is until other venues such as the American Airlines Arena and the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise came to town.

The Miami Arena was auctioned off in 2004 to a private developer for $28 million. He decided to tear it down.

With the implosion done and over with, workers cleared debris to make way for whatever may one day sit here. "I think it's a good thing to get rid of the old and bring in the new and continue the rejuvenation of the area down here," Demolition Contractor Darren Fradin said.

No decisions have been made on what will be built to replace the arena.

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