Bradley Center Roof to come down Sunday

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The arenas lined up next to each other on Vel R. Phillips Avenue tell the history and evolution of the places the Bucks have called home. 

"I have a lot of great memories there," said Mike Nowakowski, who works near the Bradley Center, "I was there for the first game at the Bradley center when they opened it."

It provided a lot of great memories for many people for 30 years, but letters have fallen off of the building, rubble has piled up, and as part of the demolition in progress, the roof must now come down. 

"It's interesting that the windows are broken so you can actually see some of the demolition going on right now," said Nick Hartley who lives nearby. 

Sunday morning, explosives will essentially separate and lower the roof from the rest of the building, according to the contractors who spoke to the Common Council's Public Works Committee about the process while asking for a street occupancy permit for the project. 

"The interior section will drop, the roof will hinge up onto the fourth bowl, or the upper section level 400, and it will rest on there and then bring itself down," Herb Pundsack of Veit Demolition said during the Public Works Committee hearing on Jan. 3. 

As a precaution, contractors said during that hearing that vibration monitoring has been set up at Turner Hall across the street, and the Bradley Center will be soaked with water to help with dust. Contractors say their goal is to keep everything contained within the Bradley Center. 

State Street and Vel R. Phillips Avenue will be impacted by the project Sunday morning.