Quote Originally Posted by hybridy View Post
The excuse given was for a loading dock large enough to accommodate entertainers of all scale which was of course complete and utter BS
They also tried to say that it had to come down because terrorism, i.e. because someone could fire into the arena from a tall building next to it.

"The Ilitch's Olympia Development of Michigan contend the former Park Avenue Hotel must be demolished because it is so close to the new arena that it violates Homeland Security protocols followed by the National Hockey League, sources said."

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2015/01/30/ilitch-plan-save-one-historic-hotel-raze-another/22617217/

First google hit, or you can read various threads on this forum where people argued about it. It was always transparent BS.