INDIANAPOLIS — Before the days of Lucas Oil Stadium, Market Square Arena was a hallmark of Indianapolis' skyline.
For 25 years, the massive white dome downtown provided a backdrop for some memorable moments.
It oversaw Michael Jordan’s return from retirement and hockey star Wayne Gretzky’s first personal goal. The tunes of Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney rang out there once, as did those of "The King," Elvis Presley, who performed there in public for the last time in 1977.
It took just 12 seconds for this iconic arena to become a pile of concrete and rubble.
That day, WTHR’s cameras rolled across downtown Indianapolis as Market Square Arena entered the last hour of its existence on a hot summer day in 2001. Anchors Julia Moffitt and Roger Harvey reported from inside the WTHR 13News studio that day, as former anchors Anne Ryder and John Stehr monitored the situation onsite outside Market Square Arena.
In this half-hour special, we take a look back at our coverage from the day an Indy iconic came tumbling down.