Using giant scissors, city and state leaders cut a ceremonial ribbon at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as a crowd of spectators cheered, clapped and whistled.

Then confetti flew.

“We put our heart and soul into something truly spectacular for the people of this city, state and region,” Christopher Ilitch, CEO of his family's Ilitch Holdings, said moments earlier.

Tuesday's event and other activities planned this week celebrate the completion of the $863-million facility that will be home to the Red Wings and Pistons.

Ilitch, whose family built the arena, said it launches a new era in Detroit professional sports where four teams, including the Tigers and Lions, play within four blocks of each other in downtown, a claim no other city in the U.S. can make.

He said his dad, the late Mike Ilitch, was very enthusiastic about the vision and plans and would be doing his signature double fist pump showing his excitement if he was still here.

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The ceremony kicked off with a performance by the Cass Tech band. News cameras lined the risers above the crowd made up of more than a thousand people and dozens of workers on the project watched, wearing hard hats.

Ilitch was joined on stage by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, City Council President Brenda Jones and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores.

“As far as Detroit goes, this is a huge win,” Gores told the crowd. “I think this could complete our comeback.”

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The arena is part of a larger project known as District Detroit, a 50-block development planned around the arena that will feature entertainment, commercial and residential developments.

“This arena is woven into the urban fabric of this city,” Duggan said.

He said tens of thousands of people will come, use the bars, restaurants and the shops, which will create jobs and opportunities for Detroiters.

The arena is anticipated to be 62% privately funded and 38% public funded.

Public tours are being offered Saturday leading up to the venue’s first official gig, a Kid Rock concert on Sept. 12.



Jason Gapa, 32, of Redford attended the ribbon cutting and said he used to live nearby on Henry Street. He said it was great day for the city and the neighborhood.



"There's years of disinvestment in this community," said Gapa, who sits on the Neighborhood Advisory Committee.

He said he’s happy to see new life breathed into the area.

After the ceremony outside, guests checked out the inside of the arena.

Sue Mick of Warren said her first reaction when entering the arena was "awe" and said that one of her favorite parts is the seating area.

"I think you're gonna have a good seat no matter where you sit here," Mick said, as she sat in the arena.

Mick was there with her grandson Mikey Tate III, a left wing with the Little Caesars 10-and-under hockey team, who got to skip the first day of fifth grade and attend Tuesday’s ceremonies with his grandmother and mother, Tricia Tate.

“It’s a special feeling when you’re here,” said Tate, who is a Red Wings fan.

“He told me he’ll remember this a lot more than his first day of fifth grade,” Tricia Tate said.

The arena, which replaces Joe Louis Arena as the home of the Red Wings, was designed by stadium designers HOK architects and features a playing surface that sits 40 feet below street level and the Via, an indoor street covered by a glass roof that connects the arena to the Red Wings offices, retail shops, and the box office.

With a lower profile and a facade that utilizes buildings of lower heights, different window treatments, and various kinds of brick, the arena blends into its urban surroundings along Woodward Avenue.

Snyder said a glue was needed to connect the areas of Midtown and downtown Detroit.

“And that’s what this arena does,” he said.

Free Press columnist John Gallagher contributed to this report.

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