New Haven Implodes Downtown Coliseum

© 2007 by The Associated Press.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Veterans Memorial Coliseum came down in a matter of seconds in a thunderous implosion Saturday morning that drew more than 1,000 people who exchanged memories about the sports and concert venue.

The 35-year-old arena, which hosted concerts by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra as well as minor league hockey and wrestling matches, was razed at 7:50 a.m. to make way for downtown redevelopment.

"I feel sad to see it go," Mayor John DeStefano said. "Just seeing it come down this way, whatever mixed feelings we had, it's still sad.

The implosion, which was delayed for 20 minutes as police and firefighters removed people from unsafe areas, created a huge dust cloud that drifted away with the wind and left behind piles of metal and other debris under clear skies.

Crews had trucked in more than 15,000 rented tires to absorb the impact and traffic at the busy Interstate 95/91 interchange was stopped so drivers wouldn't be startled. About 2,000 pounds of explosives was used to bring it down.