Abandoned Outdoor Auditorium
Pictures courtesy of
http://detroiturbex.com/
The Rossford Amphitheater project was first announced on February 27th, 1999.
The two main components were to be a hockey arena for the AHL affiliate of the
Detroit Red Wings, and a 15,000 seat open-air amphitheater. It was an ambitious
plan that went into action prematurely, relying on loans to start construction
while waiting for a financing deal to the tune of 48 million dollars to be
approved. The financing never went through, and the project ground to a halt. 6
Years later the property and its half-completed structures were sold off at a
police auction. The fate of the project isn't clear; land around the arena is
attracting retailers and increasing in value. Rumor has it that the new owner
intends to demolish the remains and sell it to a big-box retailer.
I'd passed by the site many times when I worked in the area, fascinated by its
peculiar dormant state. This site presented a challenge in that it was almost
completely exposed on all sides, with two busy roads and a freeway running close
by. The situation was further complicated by a nearby police station, and
several active businesses. For the last year or so I tried to contact the owner
of the property to see if they would let me photograph, but had little success.
It was just by chance that today the local police were on the scene of an
accident while I was in the area, so I decided to take a chance and check it
out. Approaching it from the south takes you across an open field and a swamp,
but also gives you cover from the busy roads and businesses.
Abandoned construction materials littered the site.
Unfinished restrooms.
Pan-o-ramic view of the site, stitched together from 15 different images using
PTGui (fantastic piece of software). Unfinished hockey arena on the left,
amphitheater on the right.
We had been getting a lot of rain recently, turning the area beneath the
pavilion into quicksand.
To contact Abandoned But Not Forgotten please e-mail us at abnfco@gmail.com with any questions or submissions you may want to contribute to the site.
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