Once Popular Music Venue in Michigan Set for Demolition

A once-popular music venue is soon to be no more, as it’s set for demolition in the coming weeks.

While it's always sad to see a piece of music history come to an end, in this case, it really came to an end back in 2011.

A music venue that hosted the Warped Tour, along with countless performances from artists like Anthrax, Run-D.M.C., 311, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt, and many more, will no longer be part of the landscape in downtown Pontiac.

The Phoenix Center was at the center of a press conference earlier today, where a major announcement was made regarding developments aimed at revitalizing downtown Pontiac.

According to WDIV, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and several other officials revealed proposed plans earlier today that would relocate hundreds of Oakland County employees to downtown Pontiac, helping to establish a significant presence in the city.

Phoenix Center Demolition Plans

Plans also include renovating the Oakland Towne Center, formerly the Pontiac State Bank Building, into a loft apartment complex and demolishing the Phoenix Center.

For years, I’ve wondered why there was never a plan to renovate the Phoenix Center, which hasn’t hosted a concert since 2011. Well, during today’s press conference, Coulter explained that it was simply too expensive to renovate.

The Phoenix Center demolition is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

One of the most exciting takeaways from today’s press conference was the hope of bringing the Arts, Beats & Eats festival back to the city. For those who don’t remember, the annual festival was held in Pontiac for years before moving to Royal Oak in 2010.

For many years, downtown Pontiac was a hot spot for concerts and nightclubs, and we’d love nothing more than to see the city come back to life.