Planned demolition brings down James Brown Arena
A large portion of the old James Brown Arena was laid low yesterday as part of the planned demolition of the James Brown Arena.
The venue, which originally opened in late 1979, was designed by famed architect I.M. Pei, who also designed the Louvre pyramid in Paris and, locally, the Lamar Building penthouse, the old Metro Chamber of Commerce Building that straddles the center of the 600 block of Broad Street, and the sunken parking bays and raised planters, also on Broad.
The demolition is part of a project to build a new 10,000 seat arena on the same site. Construction is scheduled to be completed in late 2027.