Miami Arena Roof Implosion

Yesterday morning I headed downtown to witness and document the implosion of old Miami Arena. At 8am all the cops that had the streets blocked off put on their sirens, people started geting loud making noise, waiting to see the Arena come tumbling down. Then out of no where BAMMMM! A loud ass explosion that scared the shit outta everyone around me. No smoke, no crumbling, no nothing... About 5 seconds later, Kaaa BOOOOOOOM!!! A loud mutha fucking explosion! Black smoke and dust went everywhere, the roof buckled and caved in but the outside walls stood tall.




I was hoping to see the building completely crumble and drop the ground but only the roof came down and a few small section of the upper walls. After a few minutes the cops opened up the streets and let the people move in closer. From the ground you couldn't really see all the devastation. The people in the upper lever apartments next to the arena really got to see the carnage first hand.

Peep this video of the explosion:



Here's a few more flicks I took before I bounced.







Although the Miami Arena does not have the same rich history as the Orange Bowl or the old Bobby Maduro Baseball Stadium, I will miss seeing this piece of our cities history because it is a piece of my personal history growing up in Miami.

I was big basketball fan as a kid. The Miami Heat and the Miami Arena provide many good memories growing up in Miami as a kid going to games with my mom. Watching the old school players like Rony Sikely, Glen Rice and Harold Miner. These were experiences i'll never forget, riding the metrorail at night and getting off at Overtown station, all the scary looking crack heads begging for money, the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs cooking filled the air, all the scalpers yelling trying to hustle tickets to the people coming to the games, the rush of the crowd all trying to pile in the arena before the game started. Some of you will not be able to relate to the sentimental value the Miami Arena holds for me, but for those that do, this post was for you.



R.I.P. MIAMI ARENA

1988-2008