The demise of Inglewood's Hollywood Park Racetrack has been looming for years now (racing ended in 2013), but yesterday morning it really happened: Hollywood Park's grandstands were demolished, says the Daily Breeze, to clear the way for a new NFL stadium. The big bang took place on 6 am on Sunday (apparently to reduce disruptions in the neighboring areas), and a rapid succession of explosions felled the stands in under 30 seconds, a video from the event shows. Not audible in the video are the football fans who were reportedly chanting "LA Rams" as the venue collapsed on itself. Part of the site is owned by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
The site is being prepared for a 298-acre mixed-use project that could include a football stadium, as well as "1 million square feet of retail space, 1 million square feet of office space, 2,500 housing units, a 6,000-square-foot performing arts theater, movie theaters, open space and a boutique hotel," Inglewood's mayor says. Groundbreaking on the stadium is planned for December of this year.
One of the last days of racing at Hollywood Park, which first opened on June 10, 1938, can be seen here.
· Demolition crews implode historic Hollywood Park grandstand to make way for NFL stadium [Daily Breeze]
· Watch One Last Visit to the 1938 Hollywood Park Racetrack as It's Demolished For an NFL Stadium [Curbed LA]
· Massive Hollywood Park Redevelopment Finally Beginning [Curbed LA]
· Rams Owner Planning to Build an NFL Stadium in Inglewood [Curbed LA]
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