Monday, July 09, 2001
Indy's Market Square Arena goes out in clouds of smoke
Venue was site of Elvis Presley's last concert
By Charles Wilson
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Seconds before Market Square Arena came down in a series of booms like giant firecrackers Sunday morning, a member of the demolition team spoke over the radio.
Remains of Market Square Arena.
(AP photo)
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“Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building,” he said.
Gasps and squeals broke from the crowd as the site of Elvis Presley's last concert folded in on itself and collapsed in a billowing cloud of smoke — followed quickly by cheers and applause.
More than 600 pounds of dynamite was used to bring down the 15,000-ton building. Charges were placed at 120 points in the arena's domed roof, and hundreds more were placed inside columns and garages.
The arena — the home of the NBA Indiana Pacers, professional hockey, concerts, circuses and high-school sports championships for more than two decades — collapsed in less than 15 seconds. The blast was heard up to 25 miles away.
The implosion went as scheduled at 7 a.m. EST. Controlled Demolition Inc. of Maryland, the company hired to raze the arena, said one window was broken at City Market.
Indianapolis police said no one was injured, though one woman suffered from minor heat exhaustion. She was given water and was not hospitalized.
Police had closed nearby streets to traffic and set up barricades to keep out onlookers who had been urged to watch the implosion on television, but several thousand people turned out in the sweltering heat to see the landmark's final curtain call.
“I hate to see it go, but I wanted to be here to see it when it did go,” said Brett Dennis, a 41-year-old nurse who lives on Indianapolis' west side.
Others in the crowd came to say farewell to the place where they had attended Pacers games, concerts or high school athletic events.
Scott Taylor of Indianapolis came to make sure it was all right to turn the computers back on in the nearby office building where he works. The 47-year-old network administrator said he shut down the computers as a precaution, and intended to reboot them after the blast.
But that wasn't his only reason for coming.
“Elvis is still the king,” he said with a grin.
The $23 million building, built in 1974, was the site of Presley's last concert on June 26, 1977. He died less than two months later.
The arena was closed after the Pacers' last game there in October 1999. The team then moved into the new Conseco Fieldhouse a few blocks away.
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