(WWJ) The Palace of Auburn Hills is just about gone.
Those driving by the former home of the Detroit Pistons, off I-75, will see a skeleton of the impressive venue it once was.
"There's still some steel standing," reported WWJ Newsradio 950's Mike Campbell, snapping some photos on Tuesday. "Along with what appears to be upper boxes or maybe offices above the floor."
The Palace opened in August of 1988 and held its final event in October of 2017. The Pistons played their 1989, 1990 and 2004 Championship games there, eventually moving out into Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit after the 2016-17 season.
Some businesses and locals are finding a new normal as traffic in the area, unsurprisingly, has since dwindled significantly.
"I think it's sad," said Roz DeCourval, manager of the BP gas station across Lapeer Road. "My husband and I used to come down here and watch the games there, and I'm gonna miss it because I don't like Little Caesars Arena."
DeCourval told Campbell they have some news ideas to help them get by.
"Right now we are hoping to improve on our lack of business by opening up 'My Slice' — which is a little pizza place — and that will bring other people in," DeCourval said.
Resident Jody Spears stopped by the site on Tuesday. "I've been taking pictures the last few months since it's been coming down," he said. "A lot of championships here, the Pistons, Bad Boys, you know."
While Spears said it's sad to see the Palace go money that was spent on building, including a $40 million upgrade not long ago, he said there's one thing he won't miss. "I like it because the traffic's down now. I've been here almost seven years, and the traffic was horrendous."
As for what might fill the empty space at 6 Championship Dr., and how soon that could happen, there are no updates.
The building and land were sold in 2019 to a Livonia-based company with talk of a mixed use development. It's unclear just yet if the COVID-19 pandemic, which sent the state and U.S. economies into a tailspin, has slowed or upended those plans.
There is a Schostak Brothers & Company sign out front with a photo number for people seeking information on the property.