Defunct Shed Demolished

The shell of what was to be a $48 million amphitheatre and arena project in Rossford, Ohio, will be torn down so the property can be sold.

Rick Rothenbuhler, regional director of the Ohio Carpenters Pension Fund that purchased the 88-acre parcel near Toledo in 2006, said arrangements to demolish the half-built, steel-and-concrete white elephant are finalized.

“It should be a lot easier to market [the property] when it doesn’t have an obtuse structure like that coming out of the ground,” Rothenbuhler told the Toledo Blade.

The property sale ends what started out to be a project to boost the local economy but turned into a financial disaster.
Rossford city officials envisioned in 1999 that the Rossford Arena Amphitheatre would feature a 15,000-seat shed and a 12,000-seat pro hockey arena.

All seemed well, as temporary financing of $2.4 million was obtained, the Detroit Red Wings agreed to move its minor league affiliate from upstate New York and Olympia Entertainment agreed to run the complex.

However, the Rossford Arena Amphitheatre Authority, which was overseeing the project, ran into problems getting permanent financing in 2000 and halted the work.

The authority decided to scrap the arena and focus on building the shed. The entire plan eventually fell through, ending with millions in debt.