Palace of Auburn Hills, once home to Pistons, demolished
AUBURN HILLS, MICH. — One of Michigan’s most beloved sports and entertainment venues was turned into rubble Saturday with a series of controlled explosions.
The shell and roof of the Palace of Auburn Hills, which was home to three championship Detroit Pistons teams and three Detroit Shock teams and played host to some of the world’s biggest musical acts during its nearly 30-year run, crumbled to the ground following a series explosive pops. The rest of the arena had already been removed.
The Palace, which opened in 1988, held more than 22,000 people for NBA games and up to 23,000 for concerts and other shows, according to nba.com.
The arena was the site of perhaps the most infamous brawl in NBA history, the so-called “Malice at the Palace,” which took place in a game between the Pacers and Pistons on Nov. 19, 2004. Nine players were suspended for their roles in the brawl for a total of 146 games. Five players were charged with assault, and eventually sentenced to a year of probation and community service. Five fans also faced criminal charges and were banned from attending Pistons home games for life.
The fight led the NBA to increase security between players and fans and limit the sale of alcohol in games.
After the Pistons relocated in 2017 to downtown Detroit, the arena about 30 miles northwest of the city continued to host concerts and music events, the last in September 2017 by rocker Bob Seger.
It also became the second suburban Detroit arena that found little real use after its main sports tenant took its games back to the city.
The Detroit Lions played at the nearby Pontiac Silverdome from 1975-2001 before moving to Ford Field in Detroit. The Pistons also called the Silverdome home for a decade before The Palace opened.
The Silverdome was taken down with a partial implosion in 2017.