Former home of Orlando Magic just weeks from blast date.
A date is set for the former Amway Arena to go crashing down in a cloud of dust. In two weeks, crews plan to implode the old arena to make way for new homes and businesses.
Officials with the Downtown Orlando Development Review Committee announced Thursday that the arena will be imploded to make way for the city’s 68-acre Creative Village project.
The Amway Arena’s implosion has been tentatively set for March, developers said.
The original plan was to tear down the arena, brick by brick, but that plan was abandoned.
“The driving force behind the implosion versus the take apart is really the methodology that was prescribed by the contractor we selected,” said contractor Sean Flanagan.
The Tampa Bay-based demolition contractor said imploding the building would be more cost effective.
Meanwhile, they will still be able to recycle about 80 percent of the debris inside the building. There is still a lot of valuable items inside the old arena, including copper, which will be recycled for a good cause.
That implosion is scheduled to happen sometime on Sunday, March 25.
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