OT: Palace of Auburn Hills is Closing
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/detroit/confirmed-palace-of-auburn-hil…
Lots of speculation prior that it may stay up for events/concerts/what have you, but the building will be closed down for good.
It's a damn shame too. That's still a really state-of-the-art facility. Not even 30 years old yet.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:09 AM ^
Well, I suppose it makes sense but that is indeed a shame. Lots of good memories there. Let's just hope it doesn't turn into the next version of the Silverdome.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:09 AM ^
I'm not too surprised. It's kind of in the middle of nowhwere and the acoustics sucked for concerts. I've been to a few concerts at Ford Field, and the sound just destroys what the palace had!
August 24th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
agreed. downtown is a location that is far more conducive to get to for people who don't live in Oakland County. Getting to the Palace from Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County was a disaster. Its probably easier for Eastsiders to get downtown than to Auburn Hills.
It was dumb to build the Palace where it was built. It was a great facility that was a trend setter in terms of what teams wanted -- multilevel suites and first class accomodations for the teams' best customers. And it is a shame that it wasn't even open 30 years, but this is the trend. The Georgia Dome, what seems to be an incredibly successful facility that has been incredibly relevant, opened 9/6/1992, closed 6/9/17 and will be demolished 11/20/17 -- just over 25 years.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:47 AM ^
I grew just down the road up in Lake Orion where Living is a Vacation!
I refuse to go downtown for anything anymore. I like stadiums in the suburbs.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^
That area is really becoming a hotbed for foreign auto suppliers. Many N.A. HQ buildings for French/German/Japanese companies up there. Best use for the land is probably to tear it down and replace it with a few large Class A office buildings. If I were on the Auburn Hills City Commission, that's what I'd push for.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^
I believe that's been the plan all along, and the city of Auburn Hills was eager to see the property sold.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
Perhaps Auburn Hills should pony up the 384 million that Gores wants for the property. I'm glad Oakland County said no.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:24 AM ^
Plenty of major domestic suppliers too. BorgWarner and Continental are just down the road.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:19 AM ^
August 24th, 2017 at 10:32 AM ^
I'm not a Pistons fan, but have a thought. How about the Pistons play games much closer to Detroit or in Detroit?
NOTE: I am aware that some teams, like the Cowboys, don't play in the city their name claims.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:41 AM ^
I am extremely confused at your comment.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
He's in Austrailia, probably not aware the Pistons are moving to Detroit next year.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:54 AM ^
Ah, OK. I did not know they are moving to the D.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
I don't think I get the joke.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
That is because there is no joke.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
The main bummer for me is that it was a privately-financed stadium. I prefer 100% private financing to private-public partnerships.
August 24th, 2017 at 10:45 AM ^
But would you rather have a privately financed stadium demolished or one that the public paid for?
August 25th, 2017 at 9:28 AM ^
August 24th, 2017 at 11:01 AM ^
August 24th, 2017 at 11:02 AM ^
August 24th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^
I was an usher, or more specifically a "Guest Services Agent," at the Palace during the summers of 2000 and 2001 and the majority of people I worked with were great. Sometimes they had to be hardasses during concerts though with people sneaking into sections they weren't supposed to be, smoking in the arena, blocking the aisles dancing, and similar stuff like that. The two toughest concerts I worked there were Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes, the Up in Smoke Tour with Snoop Dogg/Eminem/Ice Cube...fun, but crowd control was a challenge. Same employees obviously worked at Pine Knob (Ozzfest was always difficult and working it was a mandatory event).
But the Pistons memories are the best...all the playoff games I attended from 2002 to 2005 will stand out the most, especially Game 3 of the 2004 Finals.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:35 AM ^
My proudest moment as a sports fan. Sniff. Still makes me choked up with pride.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
It was a great building and set the new standard in the NBA that caused a wave of new construction by other teams. But 30 years old is not relatively new. The Palace is one of the oldest arenas in the NBA. Only MSG and Oracle Arena are older. And Oracle will be gone in a couple years.
There are around 5-10 NBA teams that have replaced or are replacing stadiums around the same age at the Palace. But the Palace has held up much better with time than the ones those other teams occupied.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:35 AM ^
It is sad that the Pistons as an organization gave it such a shit send off for its final 10 years after the amazing run from 2001-2008.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:37 AM ^
That's what I thought they should've soon with the silverdome.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:42 AM ^
The Palace was a great venue for hoops as well as for other things, but yeah, the fact that it was in Auburn Hills and I've spent my life living in Washtenaw and now Wayne County made it hard to gather the will to see more than a handful of games a season there. Little Caesar's Arena, which is a 25-minute drive from my house, will probably inspire me to see a little more pro basketball in person.....OK, some better play from the Pistons would help there too.
August 24th, 2017 at 11:47 AM ^
many a good experience - a few not so great - but mostly, glad I got to experience it
August 24th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
I can see the rationale but does LCA have enough capacity for two major pro teams plus all of the concerts, conventions, and other events?
August 24th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
August 24th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
I am really going to miss a stadium with its own dedicated parking. Now we get to do the Detroit parking hustle shuffle for every game, concert, and show.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
Parking!?
No Uber/ Lyft in southeast Michigan these days?
Side note - how is the uber/ lyft situation in Ann Arbor during football weekends? Saturday probably impossible but Fridays/ Sundays?
August 24th, 2017 at 2:36 PM ^
anyone else read Cameron Stauth's The Franchise? or am I the the mgrowoldest...