Memorial Auditorium will soon be memory

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A once-revered piece of the Buffalo landscape will soon be just a memory.

Memorial Auditorium stood for generations as Buffalo's hallowed house of hockey, rock concerts and other exciting events for anyone old enough to remember it.

The final piece of the Aud is about to come down.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation is demolishing the Aud to make way for a Bass Pro Store and signature waterfront projects.

The wrecking ball will not bring the final piece down. It will go out rather quietly, piece by piece.

Tuesday, a ceremony will be held to honor the Aud's historic legacy in the City of Buffalo.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation Chairman Jordan Levy said, "Tomorrow, we're going to both finish the demolition. We're going to open the 1939 time capsule, award the winners of the photography contest that people took pictures of the auditorium. It's gone. I mean, this building that's been part of virtually every Buffalonian's life, for as long as we've been alive. This thing's not here anymore! It's very, very impactful."

A large hole on the site will become part of an underground parking garage for the future Bass Pro Store and Canalside.

The waterfront development project is said to be right on schedule.